Assessor Levinson: "It's Not Too Late To Challenge Your Property Assessment

(Mineola-NY) Harvey B. Levinson, the newly elected Chairman of the Nassau County Board of Assessors, today announced that he has scheduled a special Town Meeting at the Bethpage Community Center on Tuesday, February 17th, from 10 a.m. to Noon, to answer any questions home and business owners have regarding the formal property assessment challenge period.

"Nassau County paid millions of dollars to businesses and homeowners over the last ten years as a result of successful challenges to the flawed assessment values placed on previous rolls," according to Assessor Levinson. "That is why it is imperative that the County's reassessment contractor and the Department of Assessment get the values right so we can stop the financial hemorrhaging that impacts every taxpayer."

By the end of the 2004 Grievance Period that was closed in March of 2003, nearly 97,000 residents filed challenges to the assessed values that were placed on their properties by the County's reassessment contractor - the largest filing against any assessing jurisdiction in the State of New York. The Town of Hempstead led all towns with residential challenges totaling 55,328, Town of Oyster Bay with 21,327, and North Hempstead with 17,680. The Cities of Long Beach and Glen Cove accounted for 2,649 residential challenges.

"The March 1st deadline to file an application to challenge your property's assessed value with the Assessment Review Commission is fast-approaching," stated Assessor Levinson. "I urge any property, home and business owner in the Town of Oyster Bay area who disagrees with the tentative assessed values that were placed on their properties by the County's reassessment contractor, to join me on February 17th."

The Bethpage Community Center is located at 103 Grumman Road West. For further information please contact the Department of Assessment at (516) 571-2490.

If you cannot attend the Town Meeting and want to learn more about the formal grievance process, you may contact the Assessment Review Commission at (516) 571-2391 By charter, this commission is separate and independent from the Department of Assessment and is responsible for reviewing all assessment challenges.