Jordan-Elbridge residents share frustrations with appraiser over property assessments

JORDAN-ELBRIDGE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Jordan resident Rebecca Novak was one of over 300 people at tonight’s public hearing regarding property assessments in Jordan-Elbridge. Her assessment skyrocketed $99,000.

“A 115% increase does not seem reasonable to me,” she said.

The community had plenty of questions, but the most common was, “Why are their taxes going up?”

“On the piece of paper you mailed out, it said my taxes are going up $775. I don’t understand that,” one audience member said. “You keep saying it’s not going up but what’s the $775?”

Maxwell Appraisal Service out of Skaneateles says it was hired by the town to do the assessments last summer.

Owner Mike Maxwell says he surveyed each home from the road.

“I’m on a swamp,” said Diana Sleiertin, a Jordan resident. “You’re telling me my 6.4 acres is worth two or three grand underwater?”

“I drove by the property in June or July and there sure was no water then,” Maxwell responded.

“Clearly you have not been down the old Erie Canal because 99% of the time it’s flooded,” Sleiertin chimed back.

Maxwell tries to explain it to us this way.

“The overall assessment to the town went up 40% and the tax rate dropped 40%,” he said. “So, the budgets are still being divided into a bigger value of the town, so the tax rate drops.”

Regardless of the answers, many are still upset.

“You have been smug this entire meeting ok,” one audience member said to Maxwell.
“Mr. Maxwell, you are being very rude by being on your phone. We don’t know what you’re doing,” another audience member said to him.

Maxwell is holding informal meetings with people for the next two weeks.

Maxwell Appraisal will review all the information gathered and any changes to preliminary assessments will be updated. Tentative assessments will be out in May.

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