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FERRETTI & LEGISLATURE INTRODUCES 

“ASSESSMENT BILL OF RIGHTS”

Today, Presiding Officer Richard Nicolello and the Republican Majority Caucus of the Nassau County Legislature held a press conference on the front steps of the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building in Mineola to announce their "Assessment Bill of Rights". The Bill of Rights is a comprehensive package of bills aimed at providing protections for taxpayers in the assessment process.

This package of legislation, which will come before the legislature later this summer will help restore residents’ trust, after enduring the County Executive’s error riddled assessment process.

"The Assessment Bill of Rights introduced today will help residents ensure that their assessments are the result of a fair and transparent process,” Nicolello said. “I look forward to seeing these bills, aimed at restoring faith in what has thus far been an error riddled assessment process pass with bi-partisan support. Nassau Taxpayers deserve nothing less."

This package of bills will include:

1. A law mandating that the County Executive sends out notices to homeowners that grieved their taxes stating the result of their grievance.
2. Legislation forcing the Administration to send out new tax impact notices so you will know exactly what you will pay with your new assessed value and the proposed five-year phase in.
3. Restrictions on unnecessarily intrusive property inspections by the Department of Assessment. This comes in reaction to many property owners being wary of challenging their assessment for fear of breaches in their privacy. This law restricts the Department of Assessment from entering homes without the permission of the homeowner, and limits the scope of what inspectors may look at when an assessment is challenged. They are restricted to the items that are being challenged.
4. A limit on the ability of the County Executive to change the level of assessment in order to avoid the New York State law limiting increases in assessed value. This would apply to any assessment roll issued on or after January 1, 2020.
5. Legislation requiring the County Assessor to hold multiple hearings throughout the County, in specific, one in each town and city, to answer questions from residents. These public hearings shall be held within one month of the completion of the assessment roll. At these hearings, any resident present may ask questions of the County Assessor, or make comments. Further, the meetings must be advertised on both the County website, and in the official newspaper at least five days before the hearing. Previously, the County Assessor has attended zero community meetings with residents, and has avoided answering questions. The County Legislators have held multiple meetings in their districts to make up for this.
6. A law requiring the Nassau County Assessor resides in Nassau County. This legislation is a reaction to the current Assessor, David Moog, who does not live within the County, and does not feel the effects of his decisions. This law shall take effect on July 1, 2020 or upon the vacancy of the office by the current Assessor.
7. A Requirement for the Department of Assessment to disclose the formula or algorithm by which your assessed property value is determined. This comes after the County was sued by residents who demanded the algorithm and were denied their FOIL requests. The County previously claimed that the information was a ‘trade secret’, and could not release it. They then reversed their decision and released partial computer code. This legislation would force within five days, the release of all electronic data files, formulas, algorithms, codes, scripts, programs, and materials utilized to determine the Tentative Assessment Roll filed on January 2, 2019 including all electronic data files, formulas, algorithms, codes, scripts, programs, and materials utilized to access, execute, evaluate, run, or analyze all such information provided.