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Board of Assessment Review May 30, 2018 Minutes

Town of Caroga Board of Assessment Review Grievance Day, Wednesday May 30, 2018 4:00 PM — 8:00 PM

Mark Ford
John Livingston (Chair)
Cathy Ann Wallace
D Peter Welker
Karen Wheeler-Kidder

John Livingston called the meeting to order at 4:00pm and noted that Mark Ford, Cathy Ann Wallace, D Peter Welker, Karen Wheeler-Kidder, and Vicki Hayner, Town Assessor were all present.

Vicki Hayner: We have one mail-in grievance from Judith Whittlesey. Her property is located on State Highway 10, Caroga. The parcel number is 83.-1-31. It is a vacant land parcel consisting of 25.1 acres. It is currently assessed $121,700. She is estimating the full market value of that property as $18,381.97. She is looking for assessment of $11,580.64.

John Livingston ask if the 25 acres goes down towards the outlet.

Vicki Hayner replied, yes. She said they did not come in and meet with her previously. It probably is a high assessment. It has a lot of waterfront.

John Livingston aid it was inundated with milfoil and two foot deep. It is the worst part of Caroga Lake. It is a frog pond. He’s sure the 25 acres is a wetland.

Vicki Hayner noted that it does have road frontage.

John Livingston noted it was assessed at roughly $5,000 an acre.

Vicki Hayner explained that the first acre, if it can be built on, would be assessed around $24,000 and the additional acres are in a graduated rate. The first 10 acres are at $1,500 an acre. The next 10 acres are at $1,000 an acre. It graduates down from there. If it is undeveloped, which she thought it was, then the $24,000 for the first acre might be reduced.

John Livingston said he didn’t have any more questions. He said he wanted to hold off on deliberation.

Vicki Hayner noted that there were eight stipulations and four corrections.

The following persons appeared before the Town of Caroga Board of Assessment Review to complain about their property assessments. Any documentation of the comparisons and or photos submitted by each person is filed with each grievance. The meeting was recorded by the Town of Caroga Board of Assessment Review Acting Secretary and is available for review.

Matt Cooper appeared to grieve the assessment of three parcels. He was sworn in by John Livingston. The first parcel, he is grieving on behalf of Rachel Simons 98.2-2-6, 163 Newkirk Rd. He said it was full market at $52,459, two acres. He said it is a non-livable home. His comparable is Billy Bishop’s house which is assess $23,000 more but is fully livable. He wants to adjust the full market value. It was purchased for $21,000 back in September. It’s been vacant for five years. It was a bank foreclosure. There are no utilities in it. Everything’s been cut off. The basement was flooded — furnace, everything. The value will go up on it when improvements start happening. There is currently a total renovation permit but nothing has been done on it other than pulling out the wall board and insulation. Its a chopped up basement. It is dirt, swimming pool in the spring. That's why all the mechanical equipment was damaged on it.

Vicki Hayner commented on the above. She said had a discussion with them and she’d lowered it to this value ($30,000).

Matt Cooper said it was full market $100,000 and Vicki Hayner put the full market at half of that.

Matt Cooper said the next two are Matt's on Dwyer Lane. The first is 83.11-5-8. It is vacant land. Dwyer Lane is a private road. It ends at a ravine: that’s where that property starts. It’s on both sides of the road: a quarter acre on each side, but there is no road there. The property isn’t even accessible because there’s no road and because there is a ravine. To make it accessible and usable, one would have to improve it with a bridge, culvert, or pipe. There is no access off of Scott Road. There’s three more parcels on Scott Road that come up on that side.

John Livingston asked how many acres was it.

Matt Cooper replied that it is 0.5 acre. Two years ago it doubled in assessment. He spoke with Dorothy [Parker] about it then. He said that Dorothy said that Hank said it was 90 foot of prime road frontage. He claims there is no road frontage. He says the tax information says it has power, but the power ends just beyond his residence (another parcel). It is vacant property with no power.

Vicki Hayner asked what it was at.

Matt Cooper replied that $9,836 is full market.

John Livingston asked if there was a 911 number or a house.

Matt Cooper said no 911 number and it is fully wooded.

Vicki Hayner asked what he was looking for as an assessment.

Matt Cooper would like to see $5,500 full market.

Matt Cooper’s last parcel to grieve is 83.11-5-12. It is listed as seasonal property. He says it is not. It is a shed — a gutted structure with no utilities. It is 124 Dwyer Lane. It is a 12x16 shed.

Vicki Hayner asked what the assessment was.

John Livingston said it was assessed at $33,968.

John Livingston said the full market for 2018 was $35,082.

Vicki Hayner asked if Matt Cooper had a picture.

Matt Cooper said he did not, but he could go take one.

John Livingston asked what Matt Cooper was looking for on this.

Matt Cooper said he’d like to see around $15,000.

John Livingston asked if Matt had this written down anywhere.

Vicki Hayner asked, full market?

Matt Cooper said yes, essentially, it is vacant land.

Vicki Hayner countered that there is a shed there.

Matt Cooper admitted that there was, but he thinks it should not be classified as a seasonal residence.

John Livingston asked if Matt Cooper and Vicki Hayner had discussed this property.\

Matt Cooper said no, the only property they discussed was the other parcel.

Vicki Hayner said she did not have anything.

Cathy Ann Wallace asked if there was a well or septic on it.

Matt Cooper said no, there’s an outhouse that’s falling down.

John Livingston said we’ll consider everything you said and get back to you soon.

Vicki Hayner said they would send a notice in writing and he’d receive it in a couple weeks or however long it takes.

John Livingston moved on to signing the stipulations.

George Cosselman came in to grieve, without paperwork.

Vicki Hayner invited George Cosselman into her office.

At 6:30 PM went into executive session.

At 7:05 PM came out of executive session.

Respectfully Submitted
James McMartin Long
Deputy Supervisor
serving as Board of Assessment Review Secretary

Copyright © James McMartin Long 2017–2024