All municipalities in Ontario County participate in scheduled reassessment programs. Most complete revaluation programs on a three year cycle in an effort to keep assessments current with market value trends, and most importantly, to maintain an equitable assessment roll.

Over the years, the NYS Office of Real Property Services (ORPS) has offered monetary aid programs to municipalities who participate in cycles revaluation programs. Most Ontario County municipalities have received funding from these programs to offset the costs of revaluation projects.

In 1999, ORPS introduced its latest aid package, and the guidelines to meet the necessary criteria. The plan is called Annual Reassessment and is guided by the standards for assessment administration published by the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO).

The Real Property Tax Law (Section 102) defines a reassessment as "a systematic review of the assessments of all locally assessed properties, valued as of the valuation date of the assessment roll containing those assessments, to attain compliance with the (statutory) standard of assessment." Under the Annual Reassessment guidelines, the reassessment may be accomplished by: (A) Review of all properties and adjustment, when appropriate, of certain properties by application of trend factors. (B) Review of all properties and complete reinspection and reappraisal of all parcels. (C) Some combination of both. ORPS ecourages annual reassessment, with total reinspection and reappraisal of each parcel at least once every six years.

For a municipality to participate in the Annual Reassessment Program, a six year plan must be developed and approved by ORPS, which outlines exactly the methods that will be used to analyze market values and assessments, how the projects will be funded, how the staff will be trained, and what software tools will be used. The principle is strong, however, the guidelines are designed to deter any "welcome stranger" activity.

For more information, link to the ORPS web page: www.orps.state.ny.us/eassess/index.htm