Write a commentThe City of Oswego’s Department of Assessment is nearing completion of its Assessment Equity Update Project, or citywide revaluation of its approximately 7,000 individual parcels, the first such revaluation project in nearly three decades.
The process began in 2022 as a joint effort between the City of Oswego, the NYS Office of Real Property Tax Services and GAR Associates, an independent appraisal and consulting firm with over 50 years working with municipal clients.
City Assessor, Kevin Hill, said, “Beginning March 1, 2024, Assessment Disclosure Notices will be mailed to all city property owners that will include the preliminary 2024 assessment, as well as an estimate of what the prior year’s property taxes would have been had the new assessment been in place for the 2023 assessment roll. We hope this will help clarify the impact the change in assessment may have on each individual owner’s property taxes.”
During the month of March, property owners will have the opportunity to submit an informal review of the preliminary assessment value to GAR Associates. The last day to submit informal review paperwork is March 31.
Hill said, “Property owners should focus on the full market value estimate. If they disagree with this value and can provide proof to justify a change, they are encouraged to submit an informal review to GAR Associates by following the instructions contained within the notice.”
Information regarding property assessments, inventory data, and sale information, as well as instructions for submitting an informal review of a new preliminary assessment, will be available online beginning March 4 by visiting htps://cityofoswego.prosgar.com.
“Since this is the first assessment equity update in the City of Oswego since 1997, it is likely there will be significant changes in property values,” said Hill. “I strongly encourage all property owners to visit the website to review not just their own preliminary assessment information, but to view information for comparable properties in their neighborhood. This will provide the context to better understand the impact of a citywide revaluation and the resulting preliminary assessments,” Hill concluded.
