GREENE – Walk into the conference room outside assessor Gloria Micha’s second floor office and you’ll be greeted by a long table loaded with thick binders. In these volumes are the tax assessments of each one of the 3,180 parcels in the Town and Village of Greene. The former real estate broker is intimately acquainted with each, having spent the last year reassessing and revaluing every last one of them.
Micha has paid a lot of attention to acreage, square footage and additions, like garages and barns. But she isn’t concerned with who owns what or lives where.
“I don’t care,” she said, maintaining that everyone was treated the same in the revaluation. Her goal throughout the process has been to establish a “fair and equitable (property tax) roll for all” town and village property owners.
Recognizing that people are upset by the very idea of a reassessment, she has endeavored to make the process as transparent as possible and operated under the belief that the more people know, the less they will be upset.
To prove it, the assessor invites residents to come in and look up not only their own assessment, but those of their neighbors as well.
“I’m not hiding anything,” Micha said.
Her full disclosure philosophy extends to the information included in the revaluation notices to be sent out at the end of this month. With their reassessment, property owners will receive a copy of the land schedule she used, created from three years of closed sales. They will also get a list of comparable properties in the area which sold within that same time period.
The example she often uses, and hands out, is the actual comparable sales report of Town Supervisor Jack Cook. Despite the fact that the assessed value of his own home is increasing as a result of the revaluation, Cook is a staunch supporter of Micha’s efforts since she was appointed as sole appointed assessor for both municipalities.
The supervisor, who once served as town assessor himself, praised her work at February’s town board meeting. “She has been one busy assessor,” he said.
“It’s been a long process,” agreed Town Councilwoman Diane Flanagan. “She’s put in a lot of time.”
The revaluation was long over due. According to Micha, some properties had not been re-assessed in ten to twenty years. She started the process by sending out a property disclosure statement to each owner, asking them to verify square footage information, etc.
The new assessor was stunned when 95 percent of property owners completed and returned the form, and even more overwhelmed by how honest and open they were about improvements they had made over the years.
“I couldn’t believe it,” said Micha. “It really helped me get an accurate data base.” From there, she put her extensive experience as an appraiser to work.
“Many people ask what are my qualifications,” said Micha. “After seeing my education and experience, they calm down.” And it’s no wonder they feel more comfortable once they learn she has more than twenty years of experience in real estate, ten of which was spent as a licensed, HUD-approved appraiser. She estimates that prior to taking on the role of assessor, she had conducted approximately 10,400 appraisals.
Another question Micha often gets is how the revaluation will affect the actual dollar amount people will pay in taxes. This is one she says she can’t answer.
“If I could, I’d be standing on a mountain wearing robes,” she laughed. When it comes down to how much people will pay, she explained, it depends on the budget. “I’m not the budget.”
