06/05/2023 Assessment Community Weekly

Equalization rate update for May 1 and June 1 tentative roll munis

We've made 519 equalization rates. Please keep the following in mind:

• Watch your email: We’ll email your rate to you (and the county director) as soon as it’s made. (We’ll also post it online the following day.)
• If ORPTS accepts the LOA as the equalization rate: The rate will immediately become final. ORPTS will not issue a tentative rate, and—by law—you do not have the authority to file a rate complaint.
• If ORPTS doesn’t accept the LOA as the rate: ORPTS will establish a tentative rate and notify the assessing unit of the date on which any complaints will be heard. In addition, the assessor is required by law to provide a separate notice to the local governing body of any affected: 
  • town,
  • city
  • village,
  • county, and
  • school district

The assessor’s notice must specify the difference in the indicated total full value estimates of the locally stated level of assessment and the tentative equalization rate for the taxable property within each affected jurisdiction listed above.

The assessor must provide this notice within ten days of the receipt of the tentative equalization rate, or within ten days of the filing of the tentative assessment roll, whichever is later.

• If you publish your tentative roll on or about June 1: Please send us your roll and post it online as soon as possible.

Start planning now for the next reappointment cycle

(Thanks to Erica Foley from ORPTS’s Educational Services Unit for suggesting this piece!)

October 1, 2025 is more than two years away, but it will come quickly. If you know of anyone who may be seeking appointment as an assessor, encourage them to begin working on their qualifications. As a reminder the qualifications for appointed assessors are the following:

• a high school or equivalency diploma and two years of full-time paid experience in an occupation involving the valuation of real property; 
• graduation from a two-year college and one year of the experience above; 
• graduation from a four-year college and six months of the experience above;
• certification by ORPTS as a candidate for assessor

For details, including qualifying experience, county director qualifications, and appraiser qualifications, see Qualifications and certification.

Note: Experience as a realtor is not considered qualifying experience.

Judicial cases

new Judicial cases:

• Matter of Global Leadership Found. v Commissioner of Fin. of the City of N.Y.
• Matter of Loyal Order of the Moose 1421 v Board of Assessors