NEW BERLIN – Thirteen property assessment disputes – some of which date back to 2005 – have come to resolution in favor of three New Berlin residents.

The Chenango County Board of Supervisors last month authorized about $250,000 worth of assessment reductions that have resulted, in total, to $19,700 in refunds of town and county taxes to the individuals. The properties all have homes and acreage; one with about 70 acres.

The Binghamton law firm of Hinman, Howard and Kattell, LLP won the cases for their clients.

The notification was made public after the county’s budget for 2010 had already been adopted, but Chenango County Treasurer William E. Evans said the amount wouldn’t affect the county’s tax rate. Likewise in New Berlin, where town Supervisor Ross Iannello said a tax stabilization fund has enough money in reserve to take care of the unexpected rulings.

The disputes involved property assessments calculated by the town’s assessor from 2005 to 2009 that were challenged by the property owners for being too high. Members of the Finance Committee and the county’s assessor said it was unusual for such cases to cover more than a three-year period.