Assessment Community Weekly 08/05/2019

During these dog days of summer when zucchini and s’mores are aplenty, we hope you’re staying cool in your favorite ways.

Reminder: Letter to seniors at risk of losing the Enhanced STAR exemption

We are continuing to mail a new customized good cause form and instructions to certain seniors across the state. These homeowners do not have complete Income Verification Program (IVP) enrollments on file with us and are, therefore, at risk of losing their Enhanced STAR exemptions.

If you are contacted by a senior who receives the form, please advise them to complete the form and send it—along with any required documentation—to our address listed on the letter.

• Form RP-425-GC
• Instructions for Form RP-425-GC-I
   

Note: The form was developed for this specific mailing. It does not replace the standard process for Late Enhanced STAR applications due to good cause.

IVP Final Roll Corrections Report

Final Roll Corrections reports for the Enhanced STAR Income Verification Program (IVP) are now available in the Online Assessment Community for localities:

• with final roll dates on or around July 1, and
• that have submitted their final roll to ORPTS, and
• that did not receive a report last week

If you have not submitted your final (or amended) roll to ORPTS, we will issue your report at a later date.

Reminder: Review your sales reports by August 30

Please review your sales reports before the deadline because we use that data to begin the process of calculating 2020 equalization rates and RARs. The reports are available in the Online Assessment Community.

For more information, see Sales usability criteria.

On the arms-length report, there is a column which indicates whether the sale is COD/RAR usable. If you find a mistake or need to correct a sale, follow these instructions:

• RPS users: within your RPS file, make the correction and then re-transmit it by going to Standard Reports > Sales > Sales Transmittal Report. Please email the RPS035 to ORPTS.saleint@tax.ny.gov. The ORPTS sales database and online sales reports will be updated with the corrections.
• If you submit paper reports, use Form RP-5217 ACR, RP-5217 Sale Correction Form. Email the completed forms to ORPTS.saleint@tax.ny.gov or mail them to:

Reminder: the STAR savings amount can be less than or equal to the maximum STAR exemption savings amount

The STAR savings amount is the lesser of:

• The STAR exemption amount multiplied by the school tax rate (excluding any library levy portion) divided by 1000; or
• The Maximum STAR exemption savings.

For example, if:

• the Maximum STAR exemption savings is $650,
• the Basic STAR exemption amount is $30,000, and
• the school tax rate is $21.123456 per thousand,

the Basic STAR savings would be $633.70, not $650.

Here’s the math:

• ($30,0000 * 21.123456) / 1000 = $633.70
• $633.70 < $650 

Judicial Cases

New Judicial cases: 

• Matter of Wilczak v City of Niagara Falls
• Matter of Level 3 Communications, LLC v Chautauqua County
• Matter of Level 3 Communications, LLC v Erie County