Quoted from bumblethru

Then God bless ya!

god bless you...need it more than i do

Quoted from B GAGE

god bless you...need it more than i do

I think we all need God's blessings. But thanks...I'll take it....I'll take them all!!!

Quoted Text

Triple hit with taxes in Rotterdam

    If past assessors in Rotterdam were too lax, it appears the current one, Craig Surprise, may be too rigid. Even if he is technically right in vastly increasing the assessments of two elderly owners of large tracts of land, is it good policy if it forces them to sell their land for some housing subdivision? We don’t think so.
    Surprise seems on a mission to prove what the Republicans who now control the town have asserted: that GAR Associates, the company which in 2007 did Rotterdam’s fi rst townwide revaluation in more than 50 years, botched it badly. The Republicans opposed the reval even before it was done, and immediately started criticizing it afterward — to the point where they have filed a lawsuit against the company. It didn’t hurt politically to oppose the reval before, nor to disavow it now.
    But the reassessment was necessary; otherwise some would have unfairly continued to underpay and others to overpay. And GAR is a company with a good reputation that has done many reassessments in the Capital Region. While it likely made some mistakes and omissions, it’s hard to believe the reval was the disaster that Surprise and the Republicans claim. ....................>>>>..............>>>>...................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00701&AppName=1

Oh there's another unbiased diatribe from the Gazette.  

This type of treatment by the assessor against the residents in this town will result in his having to look for another job on Nov. 4th of 2010 when real change come to the town.

Only to be replaced with another assessor, politically minded in the other direction? Maybe that county wide assessment option would work better...A team of professional assessors who work by consensus would surely be less influenced by political considerations. Municipal boundary properties would also be identified and billed properly.

The only thing the residents want is a fair assessment. I know the property that Darwin Brudos owns and it's not any more commercial than my back yard is. The way some of the businesses were assessed was unfair and I'm suspect of why it was done the way it was. The assessor had the option to tax the land as residential but chose to tax the land at a much higher commercial rate, why.

Quoted from GrahamBonnet

Only to be replaced with another assessor, politically minded in the other direction? Maybe that county wide assessment option would work better...A team of professional assessors who work by consensus would surely be less influenced by political considerations. Municipal boundary properties would also be identified and billed properly.

LESS INFLUENCED? You have got to be kidding me!!

A TEAM OF PROFESSIONAL ASSESSORS? We already have 'professional assessors'.

NO.....there should be no need to change the entire system of the way our properties are assessed because of some buffoons. They are supposed to be PROFESSIONAL ASSESSORS. That is what they are paid and were hired to do. If they can't do the job.....fire them!

And if GAR is found to be in error....sue 'em!

I agree that using the commercial rate is rather excessive. Uniform assessing would resolve many of the rule application issues and would be more fair especially where the people have land in two municipalities.

I don't have a horse in this debate. My taxes are just fine. No complaints! But to help me understand this whole process.....did Surprise do anything illegal or underhanded or unethical with peoples assessments? Did Gar not assess correctly? Aren't their guidelines that are set in place for assessments or do assessor just throw numbers at ya? Are people really paying TOO much or are they just now starting to pay their fair share?

I have no clue here. All I hear is complaints that are probably justified, but I don't understand the how or why except that their taxes went up.

The land owners at this time foresee no material gain from their very large tracts. There should be a mechanism that does not force them to have to subdivide their land because they can't afford taxes. One day the kids may make out from it but then again maybe not.

Tomassone and crew POLITISIZED" the assessor's office.  Don't you get it GB???  Quid Pro Quo at its best.  We'll hire you Mr Surpprise pay you more than any assessor has ever made for the town of Rotterdam as long as you continually kick the crap outta Macejaka, GAR and any Democratic candidate for public office who dares to ask questions.

Face it GB you and yer running mates are faced with a major problem with Mr Surprise.  What are ya gonna do???

Signore can fill you guys in on "his"  assessor nightmare called John MacIsaac and how he survived that election...oops I am sorry he lost that election by two votes. Can Craig Surprise even vote for the "guys" who hired him?

HEHE

Oh and by the way tea leaves are one thing but Mertz is out, Steve got bombed on the conservative line and Joe/Joe have been around toooo long to see the forest from the trees.  GOOD NIGHT IRENE the Party(GOP) is over!

You're a very bitter person John.