Quoted from Vaedur

You guys make Rotterdam seem like the Empire.. I almost expect Lord Vader to knock on my door with a house warming basket..

It is our homes, our community, our roots.....and yes our EMPIRE! And vader and skywalker have been known to be in the area though the years and decades!

Quoted from bumblethru

It is our homes, our community, our roots.....and yes our EMPIRE! And vader and skywalker have been known to be in the area though the years and decades!

Just askin but does Mr Surprise live in the "Empire" that you call "ours?"

That miserable man is a walking time bomb just ticking.  I know many people who will vote Steve, John Mertz, Joe I and Joe II, Mike D out of office for putting him in.

I just asked him to explain "welcome stranger" and he hit the roof.  I am scared to return and will wait until after election to venture back to that vile dungeon in the Rotterdam Town Hall called the Assessor's office.

I said before....the jury is still out on surprise. Some folks really like him, even though their taxes went up, and some folks don't like him. It is like that with most assessors. Time will tell....don't jump the gun here.

Quoted from bumblethru

I said before....the jury is still out on surprise. Some folks really like him,

You got that right. From what I've been told at the Sr Center, Mr Tomassone's brother, relatives of town employees, union officals and their families, former National Grid friends, certain police personel, elected and appointed town officials, in fact close to 100 residents "like" him because they all got very large reductions sight unseen with little or no supporting documents.  I didn't.  He raised mine after I bought it.  WELCOME STRANGER Jiggs Tuttle  

Did you get a reduction too Bumblethru?  Sure sounds to me like you did.

Quoted from 395

Did you get a reduction too Bumblethru?  Sure sounds to me like you did.

I thought that you thought that I was mertzie. You could just look it up....right?

But since I'm NOT merzie.....and for the record.....no reduction for me.

However....a while back, majacka raised my taxes by 'double', one month after we purchased our house. The home before the one we reside in now. And that's a fact!

Joe Hesch, a spokesman for ORPS, explained that a reassessment would be especially important in a community that has not done one in such a long time.

“What an assessment roll is trying to do is to equitably distribute the property tax burden,” said Hesch. “As the years go on, a new assessment roll is filed every year, but unless a reassessment is done that is updating the values within the municipality every year, or every couple of years, those values are not going to reflect the current market.”

Hesch said without a reassessment, similar properties in the same neighborhood could likely be assessed at very different amounts.

Despite misconceptions, reassessments do not directly raise taxes.

“It redistributes them,” said Hesch, who noted that taxes can only go up if a municipality or taxing jurisdiction raises its budget. “Some people may indeed see their taxes go up because they were relatively under-assessed in relation to other similar properties in the municipality.”

Hesch also stated that a reassessment would allow the city to assess properties at their full value if officials wished to do so, since state law allows municipalities to establish their own assessment percentages.

“Our agency has always been out front in saying that they really need to go for 100 percent because they the property owners know exactly what the municipality feels the value of their property is,” said Hesch, who noted that the state also provided aid payments to municipalities who implement their roles at 100 percent.

Tom Caprood can be reached at 270-1278 or by e-mail at tcaprood@troyrecord.com.

Put this in your Tax Party Pipe and smoke it all you naysayers who don't support  a reval.

Bumblethru your are full of BS on your last post.  Only Mr Surprise raises assessments based on sales.  You have an axe to grind with the Macejka Family and I find you the least bit credible when you post on the reval in Rotterdam.  Shame on you for lying and distorting the facts.  I am a voter and will strongly oppose the current sitting members of this Town Board for putting Mr Surprise in office to do their bidding.  I asked for help and didn't get it.  I WONT FORGET

SHAME SHAME SHAME

Vote for whom you wish. But the fact is that majacka DID raise my taxes ONE MONTH after purchasing it. That is a FACT! Not an axe to grind, no distortion and no lies!

As far as having an issue with the majacka family is beyond ridiculous. I, like many others, can and do separate 'personal' from 'political'. For example....I happen to think that tommasone is a real nice guy. I really do. However, I do not agree with his present political ideology...hence, he won't be getting my vote. Same goes for some of the others. I don't have the time to waste on the other nonsense!

Same goes for majacka. He seems to be a decent guy, but through my experiences with him, I'm glad he's not the town assessor. Do I prefer Surprise?.....again.....the jury is still out and time will tell.

Unfortunately, you are a prime example of what happens when someone embeds themselves into a political party. It turns nasty! That is one of the reasons why I'm a registered blank. I am not beholden to any political party. However, I will support any candidate that reflects my ideology! Pretty simple and stress free!

Try it sometime. It's not only refreshing, but you can see things clearer without the bias.

Mr Bumblethru,

The post from the ORPS website states in so many words that an assessor doesn't raise taxes.  Their job is to determine fair and equitable value.  Again, I find your assertion that the Macejka's "raised" your taxes to be without merit and cause for a negative on your reputation meter.

I have been told by many throughout this town that I now call home, that a political "lynching" took place after the revaluation. For that to happen and Paolino, Marco and Vellano to skate away without cause for concern is an outrage!  Afterall, they are the ones responsible for tax rate increases, approving the reval project and paying the reval vendor.   NOT MACEJKA.  Get it?

You obviously think that you were somehow wronged by this high profile family with deep town roots, who served admirably.  I know the family from the City of Sch'dy and have always thought they did their best to be fair and honest.  Mr Surprise is not what the residents want or deserve.

I guess by your logic then you would agree to hold responsible those who you think did you wrong by putting them out of office.  Hence the hiring of Mr Surprise equates to firing Tomassone, Signore, Mertz, Della Villa.  I will not cease until a wrong is righted by ousting the dasterdly bastards who shoved Mr. Surprise down our throats.  Get it?

Why do you tirelessly make it sound like I have this 'vendetta' against majecka? I don't! The fact is that he doubled my taxes shortly after purchase, I went before him and the assessment board and I was denied. End of story. I paid the taxes I was assessed at. No lynch mob. No axe to grind. And when he was gone, I wasn't heartbroken. I never even thought of it as righting a wrong. It is what it is!

You, on the other hand, clearly have a personal and political axe to grind. You clearly have the vendetta. Answer me one thing....how did majecka get his job in guilderland? Because he is a great assessor....or political patronage? Just wondering.....

and the fact remains that no one in this town or anywhere would want their assessment to go down.  We would all love for them to go up and our taxes to go down.  and the only way for that to happen is with a leaner more efficient govt, not beholden to anyone, with only the taxpayers (who pay their salaries) in mind...

Hello no new tax party!! !!!!

One of the best assessor's in New York State if you dare ask around.  I went back and read all your posts Mr Bumblethru on the Macejka's, the reval and GAR.  You more than anyone have ripped the family, the company and the reval concept.  You hold accountable "individuals" resposible for your perception that you are paying more in taxes than comparable assessments.  You might also want to re-read your posts to remind yourself of the vindictive tone, nature and personal attacks.  I  was told about this website by people close to the Macejka's who quite frankly have had enough of the lies, the destortions, the threats, the general sense of intimidation and senseless harassment.  And for what, someone 10 times worse than the Macejka's ever were.  

You be damned Mr Bumblethru to live a life of misery for your heart and soul is full of HATE!  

Well I for one would like to point out that I moved to the area a few years before the reval while Macejka was the assessor....I moved in August,  in September my taxes went up based on the sale price of my house...They went up again the following year...(No clue why)....Then when the reassessment came around we figured we'd be ok because our taxes went up...WRONG!!!...they went up again - way more than what we paid and way more than what houses were selling for...We recently put a new shed on our property and they came right out taking all kinds of pictures saying that it could possibly raise the value of our property...What the heck - its a storage shed - I'm not living in it!....Meanwhile, others don't bother getting proper permits and just keep adding on to their house, putting up fences, decks, etc and don't get caught and their values remain low....It's crazy...I don't know the new guy but I know the old one couldn't have done much if there wasn't a reval in all those years!---What the heck!....

NYS has a whole web of taxation and equalization....not much different from their income  tax code......

talk about double talk......our government does it from way way way way up high.....they are administrators/legislators/politicators
and what ever.....they walk around looking at the 'paper ladder' and check to see which rung they are on and if there is a
'flow' problem.....

KILL THE DAMN MONKEY ON OUR BACKS.......

ATLAS SHRUGGED.....and the government falls?----who is John Galt???

I Called the Rotterdam Assessment office, actually i regularly do.  As a part of my home buying process, i always call to know exactly what a home will cost me, since most Realtors don't list accurate tax information (not all, just most).  The assessment office told me they did a re-assement in 07 and won't most likely for some time, and that the only way my taxes would go up is if i get a building permit, that could trigger another assesment..

Sound right or like i got some load of crap?

Quoted from 395

One of the best assessor's in New York State if you dare ask around.  

Wow...I didn't know that. Than we can only hope that the dems sweep the town board and get him back. IMHO