Potsdam town board names new assessor as reval begins

Andy Gardner, Watertown Daily Times, N.Y.
·2 min read
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May 26—POTSDAM — Town councilors have named the new town assessor.

At their meeting on May 16, the board appointed Danielle Mitchell, who has been serving as the town's acting assessor since last year.

Mitchell took over as acting tax assessor in the spring of 2023, succeeding former acting assessor Lachelle Dilcox. Mitchell has fulfilled all state-required assessment courses necessary for the full position, according to town officials.

She will serve out the current assessor term, which concludes in September 2025.

The assessor and the town are engaged in a comprehensive town-wide tax valuation, managed by the real estate appraisal and analysis firm GAR Associations LLC of Clifton Park.

GAR Associations LLC will undertake a significant portion of the town-wide revaluation of Potsdam's 5,625 taxable parcels during the upcoming summer. Property owners will receive notifications of the new assessments in March 2025.

The town last conducted a full revaluation of its taxable properties in 2013. The objective is to achieve a 100% equalization rate, as advised by the state, aligning property tax valuations with market value. Presently, the town assesses properties at a 74% tax equalization rate.

Following the completion of the revaluation, the town anticipates paying GAR approximately $380,000 for its services.

The town has a page on its website focusing on the reval at https://www.potsdamny.us/community/town-of-potsdam-revaluation.html.

In other news, state assistance for town highways, including CHIPS funding and other programs, has finally been received by the town of Potsdam and neighboring municipalities.

To accommodate these new figures, the Potsdam town board adjusted its budget during the May 16 meeting.

The annual allocation for road and highway maintenance from the state Department of Transportation turned out to be higher than initially anticipated when the town's highway budget was prepared.

The state has allocated $426,901.48 in CHIPS funding, $99,984.82 in PAVE NY funding, $85,395.97 in EWR funding, and $66,256.54 in POP funding, totaling $677,938.81, for Potsdam. This funding is designated for the repair and rehabilitation of town roads.

Initially, the town council had budgeted only $394,824.98 for the 2024 budget, as the exact amount of grant funding to be distributed to the municipality was uncertain due to delays in the state budget process.

The resolution being considered by the board will increase the highway maintenance allocation by an additional $283,113.83, bringing the total to $677,938.81.