Consolidation plan could save taxpayers $711K, county says

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By Matthew Saari

Washington County is rolling out a consolidation plan which anticipates more than $700,000 in savings.

County administrator Chris DeBolt made the trip to Whitehall to reveal and explain the plan’s details last Thursday.

DeBolt brought with him the 23-page plan, which outlines five distinct plans, their economic impact and background information on the Shared Service Initiative.

Multi-Jurisdictional Property Revaluation

The first plan proposed a multi-jurisdictional property revaluation among six towns throughout the county whose equalization rates are below 100 percent.

The towns and their equalization rates include Dresden, 46 percent; Easton, 2.12 percent; Fort Edward, 80 percent; Jackson, 36 percent; Salem, 57 percent; and White Creek, 63 percent. County-wide there are 10,086 parcels requiring revaluation.

“A significant amount of time has elapsed since there was a comprehensive revaluation of all parcels in that municipality,” DeBolt said. “Typically an equalization rate under 95 percent is indicative that the municipality really should undergo a revaluation.”

The state Department of Taxation and Finance states that a town with an equalization rate under 100 percent indicates the property is assessed under market value, the lower the equalization, the longer it has been since the town’s last reassessment. For example, Dresden’s properties are being assessed at 46 percent of their market value.

DeBolt chalks this up to a number of reasons including “inadequate data collection,” incomplete inventory of properties and associated costs of undergoing a “reval.”

Instead of having each town reevaluate its own parcels, the county is proposing “joining together and procuring the revaluation services collectively.” The anticipated savings in doing so are $201,720.

 

This is only a preview of the story published in the Whitehall Times. To read the full story, pick up a print copy of this week’s paper at the newsstand or read it online here.

 

This is only a preview of the story published in the Granville Sentinel. To read the full story, pick up a print copy of this week’s paper at the newsstand or read it online here.