10/19/2020 Assessment Community Weekly

Many thanks to those who responded to our request for newsletter suggestions last week! We’ll incorporate your suggestions in upcoming editions. As always, if you have ideas or comments, send them to geoffrey.gloak@tax.ny.gov.

STAR handout for new homeowners

Some of you have asked why we haven’t updated the tax years in the 2020 STAR handout for new homeowners. We will not update that document until January. Here’s why: Homeowners who bought their homes before their school tax due dates are still eligible and registering for the 2020 STAR credit. The online registration application will continue to ask for 2018 income until 2021 comes around.

For more details, see the 10/21/2019 Assessment Community Weekly.

Reminder: After a property sells

After a property sells, don’t forget to:

• transmit the sale and any changes to ORPTS (see Sales usability criteria),
• update your roll to reflect the sale inventory, and
• update the IVP record to indicate the property was sold.

Good cause reminder for Nassau and Suffolk Counties

The deadline for Enhanced STAR good cause requests is the last day for paying school taxes without interest or penalty. In Nassau and Suffolk Counties, that date is yet to come.

This year we launched a new good cause form to streamline the application process. Rather than sending multiple forms, seniors should now use Form RP-425-GC, Application for Extension of 2020 Enhanced STAR Deadline.

For a one-stop-shop for the form, instructions, and other good cause information, bookmark Late Enhanced STAR applications due to good cause.

Answer to last week’s quiz

We asked: How many counties are named after United States presidents or (and here’s where it gets tricky) vice presidents?

And, sure enough, it did get tricky when it came to vice presidents! Why? Because Clinton County was named for New York Governor George Clinton before he became Vice President. (Clinton County was founded in 1788; Clinton became Vice President in 1805.)

So let’s rephrase the question slightly: How many counties were named after individuals who were or would become U.S. presidents or vice presidents?

Four New York counties are named for U.S. Presidents:

• Jefferson County
• Madison County
• Monroe County
• Washington County

Two are named for U.S. Vice Presidents:

• Clinton County (Note: If you think this is on the wrong list, William Jefferson Clinton became president 205 years after Clinton County was founded.)
• Tompkins County (Daniel D. Tompkins was the sixth Vice President after serving as New York State Governor. Interestingly, Wikipedia notes that he “almost certainly never visited the county named for him.”)

Stay tuned for a new quiz next week!