Last Chance To File Your Tax Grievance

It’s May 17 and for John Valente, acting Southampton Town assessor, it is one his office’s busiest days — Tax Grievance Day.

Residents from across Southampton are invited to file a tax grievance, which could potentially reduce their taxes.

“People typically file for two reasons,” Valente said. “Either they feel their assessment is too high or they feel their assessment in relations to their neighbors is inequitable.”

Typically, Valente says some 5,000 Southampton residents file a grievance each year, and nearly 90 percent of those who file choose to hire an attorney to file for them. However, he said, residents are encouraged to file themselves.

Homeowners can stop in the office and fill out a simple form or they can file online.  Once they file, they will then be given a date to appear before the town’s board of assessment review to make a case.

The presentation usually takes between 10 and 15 minutes, Valente said.

While many people choose to file in advance by mail or in person, Valente said e-filing has increased 30 percent over last year. “We are encouraging people to do that,” he said.

Valente could not say how many residents actually win a tax grievance, but said it is something he hopes to analyze in the future. He also hopes to explore the average amount of money that people who grieve their taxes save. “I am only the acting assessor, and I don’t have those statistics,” he said.

In person grievance filings will be accepted at St. Rosalie Catholic Church, Upper Auditorium, 31 East Montauk Highway, Hampton Bays. To file online, click here.