The Town of Webb’s 2012 revaluation is scheduled to conclude in the coming months, and Jean Murdock, the town’s sole appointed assessor, updated the town board as to her department’s progress, at the board’s monthly meeting on Tuesday, January 10.
She also conveyed what the property owners should expect as the process winds down.
A final informational meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 23, where general information will be shared with the public, according to Murdock.
Preliminary notices, regarding the new assessed values, will be mailed to Town of Webb property owners on March 1st.
Following that, property owners will have the opportunity to schedule informal hearings to discuss their updated assessments with representatives of the KLW Group.
KLW Group was the appraisal firm that the Town of Webb contracted with to gather current data on properties in the town and to calculate updated values and assessments.
“[KLW Group] will explain how the assessments were arrived at and gather any information the property owner would like to share,” Murdock said.
The purpose is to make sure all relevent information has been considered, and that the assessments have been calculated as accurately as possible, she said.
“KLW appraisers have actually developed the assessments, so they will be able to explain…what the process has been, how they arrived at the values, what the comparables are that have used for residential properties,” Murdock said.
As for commercial properties, KLW will be able to review the cost and income information.
“And, if the property owner has information specific to their property, such as wetlands, [KLW} will make sure that has been taken into consideration,” Murdock said.
Murdock made it clear that any questions or disagreements would be examined fully after the informal hearings.
“If someone from our office needs to go back out and review [a property’s] inventory, we can do that or a representative from KLW Group can do that,” she said.
“Then if KLW feels that it’s appropriate to adjust the assessment up or down, they will do that,” she added.
Any necessary changes will have been made before the Town of Webb files its Tentative Roll with the state on May 1st, Murdock said.
At that point, should property owners be of the opinion that their assessments aren’t set properly, they will be given an opportunity to grieve before the town’s Board of Assessment Review.
Murdock reminded the public that new members have been added to the review board to ensure that all cases will have adequate review.
Murdock also explained that property values for the upcoming reval will be based on the most recent sales that have occurred in the Town of Webb.
Those properties will be used as comparables in determining market values for all the other properties in Webb.
“We will use comparables from the subject property’s neighborhood where possible, so that you aren’t comparing a house in town to one on the Chain of Lakes,” Murdock said.
But sometimes, especially if sales in a particular neighborhood have been light it may be necessary to compare elsewhere.
“We would use one that was as similar to the subject [property] as possible,” she said.
Murdock encouraged property owners to gather information about their and other properties on various websites, notably that of Herkimer County, the Town of Webb, and KLW.
“The information is going to be readily available,” she said.
But, Murdock warned against putting too much stock in the comparables that are brought up by the Herkimer County website.
“Those aren’t necessarily the comparables that [have been used] for assessment purposes,” she said.
In fact, they most likely will not be, she said, citing confusion that cropped up during Webb’s abortive attempt at a reval in 2008.
“The comparables that the website selects are not necessarily ‘sales comparables.’ [The Town of Webb] will be using sales comparables…to develop full market value,” Murdock said.
The KLW site will probably end up being the most reliable in that it will offer Town of Webb properties exclusively, she said.
