[This is in response to a letter by Pam Robinson that called on “property taxpayers in the Town of Rochester to hold this egregious government to task” over the town’s tax reassessment.]

Ah, and the Election Season is upon us. Unfortunately, the Town of Rochester Republicans never lose a chance to present a completely distorted version of reality in order to inflame passions against the sitting government. In this case, Ms. Robinson doesn't even try to make a plausible case of "egregious" governance.

The town's assessments were at only 53 percent of market value. Since we are ALL taxed on the value of our property it is essential to have up-to-date valuations. Our town's last revaluation effort was some 13 years ago. Prior to that FORTY YEARS went by without doing a townwide reassessment. Such a condition favors the residents that have lived here longest, in effect, they're being subsidized by newer residents paying full market values since they lately bought their properties.

Ms. Robinson brings up our Assessor's salary for no other reason than to imply that he should have done the reassessment and saved the town money. Again, the way the town of Rochester works is to put off what needs to be done until costs rise to shocking levels. In this case, GAR Associates has been in the business of conducting reassessments in thousands of cities, towns and villages in New York State over a span of 65 years. They have immense expertise and tools to assure a fair and equitable reassessment process. Our Assessor will, no doubt in the future, be able to keep assessments up-to-date. Seeing as he was newly hired, and seeing as such revals should be done every three years according to NYS, and seeing as the Town of Rochester neglected to do its due diligence in keeping assessments up to date as is its history, GAR Associates was the best option to get the town back to where it needed to be to assure every property owner pays their fair share.

Ms. Robinson puts forth nonsense in that the only way for residents to question their new assessment was by computer. The town board made it abundantly clear that the Assessor would meet with anyone to answer any questions they may have had. It was stated so in this very newspaper, in the Blue Stone Press and the Daily Freeman. So, to claim no one knew is a lie.

Ms. Robinson's claim that GAR Associates process "resulted in wildly inaccurate property inventories" is another prompt for Republicans to get irate. However, the FACT is GAR Associates sent property assessment sheets to every property owner in town that listed the particulars for each property and asked for corrections to be made. EVERY single complaint I've heard by angry townsfolk is that they (GAR) got the details wrong. That means the property owners didn't even bother to make corrections and mail back to GAR Associates in order to have the correct information used. That's on those who neglected to do what they needed to do.

Next, the Assessor agreed to meet one-on-one with every single property owner with a complaint over the span of weeks.

Third, there was a Grievance Day held in the month of May in front of a Board of Review to rectify the record.

Fourth, every single property owner is entitled to pursue a Tax Certiorari lawsuit which would bring their case in front of a judge in order to appeal their assessment.

So, in the final analysis of Ms. Robinson's blatant attempt at playing loose with the facts in order to muddy the water as it were, she is representing a segment of the Town of Rochester that feels their idea of what their property is worth is superior to GAR Associates and the certified Town Assessor expertise. Does anyone see the skit here? Those that haven't been paying their fair share want to continue to be subsidized by newer property owners and will lie and cast aspersions upon the town board, the Supervisor, the Assessor...And, well, frankly, denigrate all but themselves for failing to do their due diligence.

Another common refrain (as is contained in Ms. Robinson's letter to the editor) is that it is outrageous that a property owner should have to defend its property value. The obvious reality is that they didn't have to do anything at all if they simply accepted their new assessment. But so many didn't even read down the assessment forms mailed to them to see if their taxes went up. They stopped reading at seeing their assessment nearly double. BUT OF COURSE seeing as townwide assessments were only at 53 percent of market value everyone's assessment goes up. That doesn't mean they had to pay more taxes. But, none seemed able to apprehend that fact.

I wonder if it will ever change here. Lack of scruples really shows itself around election time in this town. Republicans never seem to put forth how they would govern. They only point fingers and spread lies, disinformation and outright hate. In times past, the Democrat Party would cross endorse those Republican candidates that worked for the interests of all (e.g. Republican Supervisor Carl Chipman). Sadly, rather than honestly assess the job being done by a hard-working town board, Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, all the committees, and all town workers, Republicans seek to stir up animosity in hopes of bringing back Republican governments of old...those governments that let reassessments go for 40 years; let zoning code go for 40 years; let Comprehensive Plan go for 40 years. In other words, Republican do-nothing governments because that is what the Republican Party was all about: NO GOVERNMENT is the best government.

Ms. Robinson should be ashamed. But, putting into print this screed shows she isn't.

Steve Fornal

Rochester