Encouraging news after record high in 2011
WHITE PLAINS, NY: “Despite aggressive direct mail campaigns encouraging homeowners to appeal their property tax assessments, there has been a slight decline in the number of appeals assessments filed in the first half of 2013,” reported Westchester County Clerk Timothy C. Idoni. The filing period for the following communities came to a close in the first half of 2013:
|
Municipality |
2012 |
2013 |
% Change |
|
Bronxville |
26 |
8 |
-69.2% |
|
Buchanan |
6 |
3 |
-50.0% |
|
Croton-on-Hudson |
18 |
17 |
-5.5% |
|
Dobbs Ferry |
91 |
45 |
-50.5% |
|
Elmsford |
28 |
26 |
-7.1% |
|
Hastings-on-Hudson |
51 |
33 |
-35.2% |
|
Larchmont |
9 |
13 |
44.4% |
|
Mamaroneck (Village) |
92 |
40 |
-56.5% |
|
Mount Kisco (Village) |
8 |
0 |
-100.0% |
|
Pleasantville |
91 |
18 |
-80.2% |
|
Sleepy Hollow |
9 |
7 |
-22.2% |
|
Tarrytown |
2 |
2 |
0.0% |
|
Tuckahoe |
29 |
16 |
-44.8% |
|
White Plains |
370 |
235 |
-36.5% |
|
Yonkers |
1,491 |
1,633 |
9.5% |
|
Total: |
2,321 |
2,096 |
-9.7% |
This is encouraging news after the record-breaking numbers over the last few years in which annual filings increased more than ten fold. The appeals, officially known as Small Claims Assessment Reviews (“SCARs”), are filed when the local city, town or village grievance board formally rejects a grievance or when a property owner is not satisfied with the reduction granted. “A decline in the volume of appeals translates into less stress on local tax rolls”, said County Clerk Timothy C. Idoni, who warned, “When appeals are granted or settled, it forces municipalities to identify equivalent reductions in spending or unpopular increases in taxes or fees.”
For more information on the Small Claims Assessment Review process, visit WestchesterClerk.com, choose “Legal Division” and then “SCAR Petitions” or call (914) 995-3070. The Westchester County Clerk is the Clerk for the Supreme Court where Small Claim Assessment Review petitions are heard.