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Rensselaerville thinking about switching from three assessors to one

May 14, 2019 2:45 pm
H. Rose Schneider is reporting for the Altamont Enterprise Rensselaerville may soon switch to an appointed sole assessor. The Rensselaerville Town Board will hold a special meeting June 4 to discuss whether the town should do away with its existing system of the three elected posts in favor of an appointed one. Of the 994 towns and cities in statewide, only 60 have an elected board of assessors, and another 10 have single elected assessors. The remainder are appointed by the town or city government or, in the case of Tompkins and Nassau counties, by the county government. In 1970, the state changed the laws covering assessors, eliminating three elected assessors and creating the position of a sole appointed assessor. Some towns like Rensselaerville opted out of that change. All three of Rensselaerville’s serving assessors supports the change. The state Department of Taxation and Finance promotes the employment of a single assessor, saying it is more efficient to have one person interpret tax law and assess properties. If the board passes a local law to appoint a sole assessor, the terms of the three current elected assessors would expire on Dec. 31 of that year. Read the full story in the Altamont Enterprise.