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IRVINGTON, N.Y. Irvington is no longer responsible for keeping its own tax rolls after trustees recently voted to rid the village of its assessor unit status. Irvington will now rely on the Town of Greenburgh's assessment rolls to levy village taxes.
The town has to assess these properties anyway because the town collects taxes for the town and schools, Village Administrator Lawrence Schopfer said during a recent Board of Trustees meeting.
Schopfer noted that 70 percent of villages in New York State rely on towns for assessments. Most of the villages who still retain their assessing unit status are in the Westchester County area.
Schopfer and the village board projected that the village would lose about $250,000 in taxes because of the differences between the village roll and the town roll. Most of that money, 90 percent, stems from the Downingwood condominiums, Schopfer said.
Schopfer noted that the condominium is expected to challenge its tax assessment anyway, which means the village would most likely lose that money even if they did not give up their assessment status.
Schopfer noted that several other homeowners would see their taxes increase slightly, but many of those properties already have assessment challenges pending with Greenburgh.
Village officials said giving up their assessor role would mean saving between $28,000 and $30,000 each year because they would not need to pay someone to assess properties. Mayor Brian Smith argued that the village would benefit from the cost savings in the long run and it would help free up some time for the village's clerk-treasurer.
Smith also said the assessment challenge process would be easier for residents because they'd only have to go to Greenburgh. Previously, residents would have to file challenges with Irvington and Greenburgh.
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