Mineola, NY - Presiding Officer Judy Jacobs (D-Woodbury) is calling on the County's Department of Assessment and appraisal contractor Cole-Layer-Trumble to provide homeowners with a more "user friendly" explanation of the property assessment grievance process.

The new updated values for properties were recently completed by Cole-Layer-Trumble (CLT) and mailed to homeowners. Several homeowners who contacted Legislator Jacobs called the documentation they received "unclear and confusing."

"Homeowners need to understand the options and the timeline," said Jacobs. "I don't think the recent mailing was successful in effectively explaining the process. Many homeowners have valid objections to these new values and need to be provided with the necessary information to challenge the process." Jacobs also noted that the letter sent to homeowners lacked a "user friendly" guide that would help homeowners through the process.

"What homeowners could use from the Department of Assessment is a 'Grievance for Dummies' handbook," she said.

Following the completion by CLT of the first of three years of court-ordered assessment updates of all residential properties, the new tentative property reassessment values were mailed to all Nassau homeowners on November 10th. According to the assessor's office, upon receipt of their disclosure notices, Nassau homeowners can examine the fair market value that was assigned to their homes by CLT and to note any discrepancies of property description or estimated market value. Homeowners are then given two weeks to submit an application for an INFORMAL REVIEW of their value.

Here are the steps to take if you believe the updated value on your home was erroneous:

1. Fill out the INFORMAL GRIEVANCE form before November 21. This course of action should be taken if you believe an error has been made in the description of your home. The informal grievance procedure is not for disputes related to the value of your home. This does not preclude you from filing a grievance if you don't agree with the fair market value assigned to your home. If a mistake was made, the informal grievance process will remedy it quickly, rather than going through the formal grievance filing.



2. Homeowners always have an opportunity to visit the Department of Assessment if they believe an error was made. The office is located at 240 Old Country Road in Mineola.



3. FORMAL GRIEVANCE: Any resident disputing the assigned assessed value of their home can challenge the assessment by filing a Formal Grievance during the period from January 2, to March 1, 2004, if they believe that the county's reassessment of their home is too high. Filing a Formal Grievance will ensure a review.

Helpful websites:

For more information or if you have any questions, please call the Department of Assessment at 571-2490, or Melanie Logan of the Assessment Review Commission at 571-2048 or Cole-Layer-Trumble at 516-873-7020.