08/23/2021 Assessment Community Weekly

Fun summer tip: The State Fair is underway! Here’s a recent article from the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle to get you up to speed. Think of us when you bite into that first sausage and peppers!

Solar/Wind Webinar Next Week

On Tuesday, August 31, at 2:00, ORPTS will host a webinar for the assessment community on the new appraisal methodology for solar and wind energy projects. Here are some of the topics we’ll discuss:

• What the new appraisal methodology will mean for assessors and assessments
• Step-by-step how to use the new appraisal model
• How you can comment on the preliminary model and discount rates
• How we developed the model in consultation with the New York State Assessors Association, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, and the renewable energy industry

We’ll leave plenty of time to answer your questions.

No need to register in advance. A few minutes before 2:00 just follow these instructions:

To join the webinar, click this link: https://meetny.webex.com/meetny/onstage/g.php?MTID=e099962875748e525f4eae5383bceb8ae

Event number: 161 288 2154

Password (if needed): Solar2021

For the audio portion of the meeting, you will be prompted to call in or receive a call back.

If you will not have access to a computer, smartphone, or tablet at the time of the webinar, you can still listen in.

Call: 1-518-549-0500

Access code: 161 288 2154

Community Q and A:

Q. The federal government provided additional unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Are those payments considered income for purposes of the senior citizens exemption?

A. The federal CARES Act and American Rescue Plan Act authorized payments of Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) in amounts of up to $600 per week in 2020 and up to $300 per week in 2021. It is our understanding that this compensation is in the nature of unemployment insurance, not a stimulus payment. Moreover, it is considered taxable income for purposes of the New York State personal income tax. As such, in our non-binding view it should be included as income for the senior citizens exemption authorized by RPTL 467.

Reminder: Only eight days left to review your sales reports

You have until August 31 to review your sales reports in the Online Assessment Community. Your timely review is very important because we’ll use the sales data to begin the process of calculating 2021 equalization rates and RARs.

For more information, see Sales usability criteria.

On the arms-length report, there is a column which indicates whether the sale is COD/RAR usable. If you find a mistake or need to correct a sale, follow these instructions:

• RPS users: within your RPS file, make the correction and then re-transmit it by going to Standard Reports > Sales > Sales Transmittal Report. Please email the RPS035 to ORPTS.saleint@tax.ny.gov. The ORPTS sales database and online sales reports will be updated with the corrections.
• If you submit paper reports, use Form RP-5217 ACR, Sale Correction Form. Email the completed forms to ORPTS.saleint@tax.ny.gov or mail them to:

NYS TAX DEPARTMENT – ORPTS
ATTN: DATA MANAGEMENT UNIT
W A HARRIMAN STATE CAMPUS – BLDG. 8A
ALBANY, NY 12227-0801