Awarded Excellence in Equity Award in 2006 by the NYS
Office of Real Property Services
Responsibilities of Office
All property in the Town of Bethlehem is to be assessed at an equitable and
uniform value. To maintain fair, equitable and uniform property values that accurately
reflect changes in economic conditions and real estate values.
The Assessor's office is responsible for assessing all town property and administering
property tax exemptions. Assessment rolls are open for public inspection during weekday
working hours.
Assessors are interested only in fairly assessing property
in their assessing unit. If, after reviewing the assessment data of comparable
properties in your market area, your assessment appears to be in line but your
tax bill seems too high, the assessor cannot change that. Complaints to the
assessor or the Board of Assessment Review must be about how the property is
assessed. Complaints about high taxes should be addressed directly to the taxing
jurisdictions, such as the school district board, the county legislature or the
town board, who set the tax rates. The assessor does not set budgets or the tax
rates resulting from the budgets.
In comparing properties to yours, it is important to
remember that location, style, age, size, etc. are critical to the comparison
process. You should review assessments of truly similar homes in
the same general market area, and make your adjustments to the assessments of those homes to arrive at an indicated value for your home. If you
are utilizing a comparable property’s assessed value per
square foot of living area (SFLA), after subtracting the land value first, to make a case for over assessment, be sure to
use those derived from similar homes in similar market areas and of very similar
SFLA. Otherwise your results will be skewed and will not prove your case.
Contact the Assessor's Office for:
Assessment/property inventory data -- this information is available throughout the year
for assessment comparison review purposes.
Tax exemption eligibility.
Tax maps -- the maps and indices make it possible to locate a property, learn its size,
and identify its owners. Maps and indices are available for use at the Assessor's Office
and at the Bethlehem Public Library.
Board of Assessment Review -- each year on Tax Grievance Day the Board convenes to
receive and act on resident appeals of tentative tax assessments.
Tax Grievance Day -- held to allow people the opportunity to present oral testimony in
support of previous written documentation submitted to appeal a tax assessment.
(The fourth Tuesday in May.)
Assessment rolls for the Town of Bethlehem are on file in the Assessor's office.
Office of Real Property Web Site: WWW.ORPS.STATE.NY.US
*Exemption forms available online at ORPS web site*
Forms are also available at Town Hall during normal business hours.
Tax relief may be available for eligible applicants applying
for any of the following five major exemptions:
Seniors - You may be eligible for a partial exemption
from Real Property Taxes as a senior citizen if you meet the following
requirements. One of the owners named on the deed must be 65 years of age during
the calendar year (January 1 - December 31.) Combined income of all
owners cannot exceed $37,400 including Social Security. Eligibility is
based on all 2008 year income. Please bring the following information
with you when you apply: proof of age, executed copy of income tax (if
filed), Social Security benefit statements, statements of wages, pensions,
interest, dividends, capital gains, nontaxable interest and rental or alimony
if applicable. This application must be renewed by March 1 of each year.
Veterans - The Assessor's Office will accept
applications for qualified residential property, owned and occupied by
veterans who served during defined periods of war. Surviving spouses of
a veteran may also be eligible to apply. This exemption applies to the
town and county portion of the General Property Taxes. It does not
affect school taxes or special district tax levies. The qualified
residential parcel will receive a 15% reduction of its assessed value, and, if
combat duty can be documented, an additional 10% will be applied. If the
veteran received a service-connected disability rating, one-half of the
disability rating will be added to the exemption. Each of these items is
subject to a maximum assessed value of $240,000.
Disability - The New York State Real Property Tax Law
allows local governments the option of granting a reduction in the amount of
property taxes paid by qualifying persons with disabilities. To qualify,
persons with disabilities must have a Notice of Award from the Social Security
Administration. This award must certify the applicant's eligibility to
receive Social Security Disability Insurance. A certificate from the
State Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped may be used as well as
an award letter from the Railroad Retirement Board certifying the applicant's
eligibility to receive railroad retirement disability benefits. The
property must be occupied and owned by the person with the disability.
The disabled person DOES NOT have to be 65 years of age. Combined income
must be no more than $37,400, including Social Security, in order to qualify
for the exemption. The application must be renewed each year.
Basic STAR - The Basic STAR exemption is for all
owner-occupied residents. The application must be completed and returned
to the Assessor's Office. Basic STAR applications do not need to be
renewed.
Enhanced STAR - The Enhanced STAR exemption is for all
owner occupied residents that are at least 65 years of age and the adjusted
gross income of all owners is under $74,700, excluding income from IRA
distributions. The application must be
completed and returned to our office along with proof of age, residency and a
copy of their 2008 federal income tax return. These applications must be
renewed by March 1 of each year.
Third Party Notices
If a senior would like their renewal forms sent to another
person, they can obtain a Third Party Notice Application from the Town
Assessor's Office. All renewal forms would be sent to the person
designated on the form.
All applications must be filed on or before March 1.
Enhanced STAR Enrollees Must Renew by March 1
New York State's Enhanced STAR school tax savings program
requires annual renewal. Those enrolled in Enhanced STAR are reminded
that to remain eligible they must file proof of income for 2008 with the town
assessor's office by March 1. Enhanced STAR is limited to homeowners who
will be at least 65 years of age by December 31, 2010 and have an adjusted
gross income of $74,700 - excluding income from IRA distributions.
Those enrolled in the Basic STAR program - which is open to
homeowners of all ages and incomes - are not required to renew in order to
maintain eligibility.
Homeowners who have not enrolled in either Enhanced STAR or
Basic STAR are urged to take advantage of the savings on school taxes the
program offers by signing up as quickly as possible or by March 1 at the
latest. Enrollment forms are available at the assessor's office in
Bethlehem Town Hall, 445 Delaware Avenue, Delmar.
For further information on the STAR programs, contact the
assessor's office at 439-4955, extension 1103.
Agricultural Assessment Applications Due On or Before March
1
The Albany County Soil and Water Conservation District staff
will once again be completing Soil Group Worksheets (SGW) for landowners who are
going to file for an Agricultural Assessment in 2010. Applications must be
filed with your local assessor by March 1, 2010.
To qualify, the land must be used for the production of sales
crops, livestock, or livestock products, and consist of one of the following:
Seven acres or more with an average gross income of $10,000
for the last two years
Less than seven acres with an average gross income of
$50,000 for the last two years
Rented land can also qualify, if the operator meets the
requirements of A or B above, and a long-term lease exists with the property
owner.
The following items are needed for the completion of your SGW:
Current tax maps showing property boundaries
Current tax bill with ID number for each parcel of property
Location of any building and their use
Location of any forestland and number of acres
Designation of whether the property is in an Agricultural
District
For more information on the Agricultural Assessment Program,
contact your local assessor or the Albany County Soil and Water Conservation
District at 765-7923.
As a homeowner, you may grieve your assessment
yourself directly with our Assessor’s office. Our Online Assessment Roll
System information will help you compare your assessment with other similar
properties.You can then fill out
the forms provided on-line and file your grievance directly with our
Assessor’s office anytime prior to, or on, Grievance Day.If after the Assessor’s review and decision you are still not satisfied
with your assessment, you still have time to explore other options.
The Online Assessment Roll System (OARS) is intended to
provide you with information on real property data maintained by the Town
of Bethlehem Assessor's Office. The site allows you to view
property information, structure information, exemption information, property
sale information and the most recent tax bill information. The site also
offers the capability to perform comparable property assessment and sales
searches.
Town of Bethlehem: 445 Delaware Avenue, Delmar, NY 12054 Ph: 518.439.4955
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