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        <title>Real Estate Blog</title>
        <link>http://www.reahomesearch.com/blog/</link>
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            <guid>http://www.reahomesearch.com/blog/celoron-rib-fest-returns-wednesday.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.reahomesearch.com/blog/celoron-rib-fest-returns-wednesday.html</link>
            <author>homes@reahomesearch.com (Real Estate Advantage)</author>
            <title>Celoron Rib-Fest Returns Wednesday</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
June 6, 2011


By Dennis Phillips (dphillips@post-journal.com) 


 






CELORON - If you like barbecue ribs and would enjoy a chance at winning a new car, Lucille Ball Memorial Park is the place to be starting Wednesday.


The 2011 Celoron Rib-Fest and Classic Car Show will fire up at 3 p.m. Wednesday with local and national vendors serving their unique barbecue cuisine. The festival will run from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and continue from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.


Rib vendors returning this year will be Sgt. Oink's BBQ, My Happy Place, Smokin' Joe's BBQ, Bulldog Barbeque of Jamestown and Hog Wild BBQ Co. of Warren. Other food and prizes will be offered by other vendor booths, with the number of merchants almost doubling from last year. The 2011 rib fest also includes an expanded beer and wine pavilion where people can enjoy their meal by the lake while enjoying an adult beverage. Willow Creek Winery will be donating all proceeds to the local Meals on Wheels from its $1 wine tasting event.


The newest addition to the rib fest this year is the corporate sponsorship of Kia of Jamestown. Celoron Mayor John Keeney said the car dealership is offering the opportunity for someone to win a new car. From a closet to the pin golf competition to a bean bag toss event, there will be several opportunities each day of the festival for people to qualify to win the new car.


''Their (Kia of Jamestown) involvement visually is going to be important,'' Keeney said. ''Plenty of people will have the opportunity (to win a new car). We hope it happens and we hope there is enthusiasm about it.''


Harley Davidson of Jamestown will sponsor bike night with special parking along the boulevard at Lucille Ball Memorial Park all day. The classic car show sponsored by Southern Tier Classic Chevy Club of Lakewood will be held Saturday from noon to 4 p.m., with judging thereafter. There will be an expanded kids zone sponsored by Cummins Engine and live bands all four days in the Desi Arnaz Bandshell.


The bands include Richie Leeper &amp; Soul Revival from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday; Porcelain Bus Drivers from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday; Derek Davis &amp; The Tasty Groove from 5 to 7:45 p.m. Friday; Smokehouse from 8 to 11 p.m. Friday; Total Chaos from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday; Pressure Sensitive from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday; and Synergy from 8 to 11 p.m. Saturday.


This was the second year the village handled producing the rib fest. Keeney said the committee and community volunteers were more experienced this year, which made scheduling the event simpler than last year.


''It was much, much easier from the standpoint that people involved in the process had the experience of doing it in the past,'' he said. ''They're always hard-working, but the experience of having done it the previous year was a big difference.''


Keeney said along with the Celoron Hose Company No. 1 and the Chautauqua Lake Fishing Association, the Lakewood-Celoron Moose Club is also helping with rib fest activities.


''The extra help and extra hands made the process easier,'' Keeney said.


The mayor said it is important to remember that a vast majority of the proceeds from the event go to help local organizations. He said community groups that volunteer at the event like the Civil Air Patrol, the Children's Safety Village, The Resource Center, St. Susan Center and other organizations benefit financially from the rib fest. Keeney said the vendors get their money, the village gets $2,000 and the rest of the proceeds go to local volunteer groups.


''It is not intended to be a big profit-maker for the village of Celoron, but an opportunity for community organizations.


For more information, visit www.celoronribfest.com.


http://www.post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/585632/Celoron-Rib-Fest-Returns-Wednesday.html?nav=5057




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            <pubDate>Mon, 06 Jun 2011 12:27:27 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.reahomesearch.com/blog/rater-joins-rea-staff.html</guid>
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            <author>homes@reahomesearch.com (Real Estate Advantage)</author>
            <title>Rater Joins REA Staff</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 





Real Estate Advantage has added Rex Rater to its sales force at 800 Fairmount Ave., West Ellicott.


"We are thrilled to welcome Rex to our real estate family," said Richard Benedetto, licensed real estate broker and co-owner of Real Estate Advantage. "At Real Estate Advantage, we are proud to lead an exceptionally talented team of real estate professionals who continually provide an unmatched level of service and marketing for our clients. Rex's extensive experience gives him the ability to offer excellent client service."


Rater joins his wife Sandy, who is a broker with Real Estate Advantage with more than 25 years of experience. Rater has chosen to join at Real Estate Advantage after retiring from a successful career in law enforcement and public safety. He has more than 39 years experience of negotiating skills from serving the public. Having 35 years with the Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office; retiring as undersheriff to become the police chief/director of public safety for the city of Jamestown for the next four years.


Rater has years of experience in real estate by owning investment properties in and out of the area.


"With his knowledge of the area as well as his years of experience serving the public, Rex brings his unique background, negotiating skills, and business experience to the profession," Benedetto said.


Rater can be reached at 484-2020 or emailed at RexRater@Reahomesearch.com.


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            <pubDate>Mon, 23 May 2011 09:17:44 -0500</pubDate>
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            <link>http://www.reahomesearch.com/blog/welcome-back-summer-wind.html</link>
            <author>homes@reahomesearch.com (Real Estate Advantage)</author>
            <title>Welcome Back, Summer Wind</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
http://thesummerwind.com/


The Summer Wind was placed back into the water Saturday after maintenance was finished on the boat recently. Poor weather this spring delayed work on the cruise ship, according to Capt. Rick Willman, Summer Wind Cruises vice president. Cruises are available depending on passenger counts. For more information, call 763-7447 or 665-2628.


 


http://www.post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/584021/Welcome-Back--Summer-Wind.html?nav=5057
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            <pubDate>Mon, 09 May 2011 09:18:51 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.reahomesearch.com/blog/boating-business-to-open-in-celoron.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.reahomesearch.com/blog/boating-business-to-open-in-celoron.html</link>
            <author>homes@reahomesearch.com (Real Estate Advantage)</author>
            <title>Boating Business To Open In Celoron</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 


CELORON - If you are in need of a new boat lift and like hot dogs, M &amp; M Enterprises of WNY is the place to be Saturday.


Mike and Grace Anderson, M &amp; M Enterprises owners, will be hosting a grand opening celebration 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 7, for their new location at 575 Livingston Ave., Jamestown. The party will include hotdogs and hamburgers, deals on shore station boat lifts and special guests County Executive Greg Edwards and John Keeney, Celoron mayor.


The business does boat detailing, boat lift repairs, buys sand sells used lifts, dock and lift installation, landscaping and snowplowing. Anderson said his business details more than 200 boats, installs 50 to 60 docks and constructs 15 to 20 lifts during the summer. Anderson said he has been in the business for 20 years. The best part of his job is being out in the sunshine, out on the Chautauqua Lake.


''It is always nice out there. It is like being on vacation all the time,'' he said.


Anderson said his business used to be located in Holiday and Snug Harbor. However, he decided to move to a new location when he received a good buying price on the building.


''I love the new location. It is a wonderful building,'' he said. ''It is close to the lake and the street is becoming more and more popular. The mayor of Celoron (Keeney) has been wonderful welcoming us to the community.''


Anderson said he has a well-trained professional crew, which includes his son, Michael. Anderson said M &amp; M Enterprises uses a state-of-the-art boat to put lifts and docks in for his customers.


''We take care of customers from Celoron to Mayville,'' he said. ''Anything having to do with water, we can help.''


For more information on the business, call 969-7655.


http://www.post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/583639/Boating-Business-To-Open-In-Celoron.html?nav=5003


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            <pubDate>Sat, 07 May 2011 09:58:49 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.reahomesearch.com/blog/possible-tenants.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.reahomesearch.com/blog/possible-tenants.html</link>
            <author>homes@reahomesearch.com (Real Estate Advantage)</author>
            <title>Possible Tenants</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Three Stores Express Interest In Lakewood Plaza


April 6, 2011


By Dennis Phillips (dphillips@post-journal.com) , The Post-Journal 


 






LAKEWOOD - Three new businesses could be moving into the Lakewood Village Center in the former spot that once housed Quality Markets.


David Wordelmann, Lakewood mayor, said TJ Maxx, Pet Smart and Michaels could be moving into the plaza. He said the owner of the plaza, Widewaters Construction, will be investing $3.5 million into renovating and improving the plaza for the arrival of the new businesses. He said Widewaters officials are hoping to complete a payment in lieu of taxes agreement with the county, school district, town and village to offset the cost of renovating the building for the new stores. Wordelmann said the county's Industrial Development Agency is also working on the proposal. The mayor said, hopefully, if the deal goes through the businesses will be open by October.


''These businesses have been proposed to be moving in. Nothing is finalized, yet,'' Wordelmann said. ''(Widewaters officials) are coming (later this month) to talk to us again.''


Since opening its first store in 1977, T.J.Maxx has more than 900 stores nationwide. A company news release states the business conducts all aspects of its business with an off-price mentality. T.J.Maxx aims to deliver top fashion, brand names, quality and price with every piece of merchandise in the store.


Pet Smart is the largest specialty retailer of services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets. The business has more than 1,172 pet stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, and more than 172 in-store dog and cat boarding facilities. Pet Smart states it provides a broad range of competitively priced pet food and pet supplies, and offers complete pet training services.


Irving, Texas-based Michaels Stores is a specialty retailer of arts, crafts, framing, floral, wall decor and seasonal merchandise for the hobbyist and do-it-yourself home decorator. The company owns and operates more than 1,045 stores in 49 states and Canada.


Quality Markets closed in April 2010 after Tops Markets purchased Penn Traffic's assets, which included 79 supermarkets over a four-state area.


According to a news release at the time, Tops said it used several different criteria points - such as condition and the ability for success in evaluating the most economically viable businesses to keep open. Tops stated it reviewed the Lakewood store and the decision was then made to close the business.


Tops Markets announced on Jan. 29, 2010, that it had completed the bankruptcy court-approved acquisition of a majority of Penn Traffic. The transition of Penn Traffic assets to Tops was finalized in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware with Tops paying $85 million for Penn Traffic.


Widewaters Construction, plaza owners, is located in Dewitt, N.Y.


http://www.post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/582390/Possible-Tenants.html?nav=5192




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            <pubDate>Thu, 07 Apr 2011 09:07:14 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.reahomesearch.com/blog/tax-chart-clarified.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.reahomesearch.com/blog/tax-chart-clarified.html</link>
            <author>homes@reahomesearch.com (Real Estate Advantage)</author>
            <title>Tax Chart Clarified</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 


March 22, 2011 - By Nicholas L. Dean ndean@post-journal.com


The tax numbers which appeared on the front page of the March 20 edition of The Sunday Post-Journal represented average figures for the county's villages and cities.


That the numbers were labeled "Bemus Point" and "Jamestown" confused readers as the numbers on the front page did not match the charts on pages A-7 and A-8 of the paper.


The numbers presented on the inside charts were specific to each of those municipalities while the chart on the front page of Sunday's edition was intended to show the average of the two different types of municipalities - not the municipalities themselves.


Additionally, the town of Pomfret's tax on village of Fredonia residents did not increase by $350.19 as was published Sunday.


According to the county Office of Real Property tax, the town's 2010 full value rate on the village was 0.787807 and the 2011 rate is 0.876830. That would make the 2010 taxes on a $100,000 property $78.78 and the 2011 taxes $87.68 - for a year-to-year increase of $8.90.


Full value rates are what's arrived at after factoring a town's equalization rate into its actual tax rate. The error in Sunday's paper arose from having factored the town of Pomfret's full value rate for 2010 and actual tax rate for 2011.


The town's actual tax rate on the village in 2010 was 3.854242 and is 4.289776 this year. On a $100,000 property, that would make taxes $385.42 and $428.978, respectively. However, as explained, those numbers do not reflect the town's equalization rate. The $350.19 came from subtracting $78.78 from $428.97 - the town's 2010 full rate from its 2011 actual rate.


http://www.post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/581547/Tax-Chart-Clarified.html?nav=5192


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            <pubDate>Wed, 23 Mar 2011 08:46:38 -0500</pubDate>
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            <link>http://www.reahomesearch.com/blog/towns-take-their-share-of-property-taxes.html</link>
            <author>homes@reahomesearch.com (Real Estate Advantage)</author>
            <title>Towns Take Their Share Of Property Taxes</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
March 19, 2011 - By Nicholas L. Dean, ndean@post-journal.com




Town taxes in Chautauqua County this year range from $16.39 in the town of Chautauqua to $1,011.87 in the town of Ellington.


For most all towns, the town tax comes in third to school taxes and county taxes. In only a few municipalities do residents pay more in town taxes than county taxes.


The chart on page A-6 of today's paper shows what a property valued at $100,000 would be charged in taxes by all the county's school districts and levels of local government.


Despite being different entities, towns and villages are seeing the same sorts of problems which county officials have been discussing in recent months.


Reached for comment about the Town of Ellington's budget, Supervisor Laura Cronk first pointed to the costs of services which the town provides.


"Our highway budget is our big item," Cronk said. "We have 49-plus miles of road, so that makes it a big item in our budget."


A number of other such issues similarly contribute to the town's tax numbers, Cronk explained. It's for that reason that she said the taxes sort of speak for themselves when taken in consideration with the town's expenses.


"We just try to keep things under control as much as we can and try to cut corners here and there to sort of offset the mandated expenses," Cronk said. "Those are the ones that kill us, the mandated expenses. We've gotten to the point where we almost have to go without things here to keep the budget down to meet the mandates without running up taxes. Our big increase this year was health insurance for the employees and the pension plan, but other than that, not too many of our expenses changed."


Such a juggling act is doubly difficult for a town like Ellington, Cronk continued, as the town has a large retired population.


"They just can't afford it," Cronk said of yearly increases in taxes. "Our social security hasn't gone up for two years now to match it and nobody's told me that it's going up next year either. You just kind of do the best you can and wish you could do better."


Like the highway budget, Cronk also pointed to the town's library - which receives the majority of its support through town appropriation.


"Some towns don't do that," Cronk acknowledged. "Some towns don't put as much in as we do."


In conversation with The Post-Journal on Friday, Pomfret Town Supervisor Don Steger spoke similarly about town taxes, expenses and the tough choices that will have to be made in the future.


"People are thrilled they have a library in their town, but they don't realize what it costs each year to operate," Steger said. "And where do you look to cut? Do you plow the roads less and make them more hazardous for people to travel on them? Do you cut from youth programs? Do you cut from senior programs? It's hard choices to make."


As Cronk pointed out, little changed in the town of Ellington's costs in moving from 2010 to 2011. However, had it not been for state costs such as the increase in the town's pension contribution and health insurance costs, the town taxes for this year would still be less than four digits.


In the county executive's State of the County address last month, Greg Edwards pointed to the state and the costs Albany has put on its local municipalities throughout the years.


"Over the past two decades," Edwards said, "officials in Albany have been making decisions and handing the bill to Chautauqua County and each of the other 61 counties in New York state. The state has been designing programs, increasing benefits and expanding services with an apparent complete disregard for the costs. "The result has been and continues to be," Edwards continued, "that counties like ours have to pay these bills with ever-increasing local fees and taxes."


Addressing the local cost of property taxes will take time and work.


"Nothing's going to happen overnight," Steger said of change. "And there's going to be pain and loss of services to get back on board."


Part of the reason for that is the myriad of factors contributing to the situations in which local governments find themselves. In addition to state-mandated costs, there are other causes


In a story about school taxes also in today's paper, Brocton Superintendent John Hertlein pointed out that 51 percent of the properties within his district are tax exempt. In conversation with The Post-Journal, town supervisors similarly mentioned how a decade ago the state Legislature expanded what's allowed to be tax exempt - meaning local municipalities have lost properties in recent years that they used to be able to charge taxes on.


The Post-Journal questioned residents in the city of Jamestown on Friday to get public sentiment about taxes and tax-related issues.


Betty Jane Sundeen, a senior citizen, said senior citizen discounts help her, but added that she knows others who face taxes she thinks are too much. She questioned how the area will make it when the government "does not seem to have a future for us." She pointed to what she sees as not enough employment in the area and suggested cutting high-paid officials' salaries in order to help bring taxes back in line.


http://www.post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/581485/Towns-Take-Their-Share-Of-Property-Taxes.html?nav=5192


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            <pubDate>Mon, 21 Mar 2011 09:32:20 -0500</pubDate>
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            <link>http://www.reahomesearch.com/blog/schools-are-largest-burden-to-taxpayers.html</link>
            <author>homes@reahomesearch.com (Real Estate Advantage)</author>
            <title>Schools Are Largest Burden To Taxpayers</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
March 19, 2011 - By Nicholas L. Dean, ndean@post-journal.com




School taxes account for the largest chunk of property taxes paid for by New York residents.


According to the New York State Department of Tax and Finance, school districts receive close to 60 percent of the total property taxes collected statewide.


There are a total of 20 school districts which charge property taxes of Chautauqua County residents, most all of which cross multiple municipal lines.


The Bemus Point Central School District, for instance, charges taxes on Ellery, Ellicott and Gerry residents. The Cassadaga Valley Central School District, by comparison, is comprised of property taxpayers from nine different municipalities.


It's among these different segments that school districts apportion their tax levies, the total amount of money to be collected from property taxes. According to the New York State Department of Tax and Finance, a school district can be composed of everywhere from one to 15 municipalities or more.


Charging a uniform rate across several municipalities becomes somewhat more complicated by the fact that many have different levels of assessment. To distribute school taxes fairly, according to the state Department of Tax and Finance, an equalization rate has to be used to account for the different assessments.


Online at the county's website is a section for the local Office of Real Property Tax. The page has a plethora of information, from tax rolls to rates for multiple years - all broken down by town, village, city, school district, county and more.


A cursory look at the links for school tax rates, though, will show different rates for municipalities within any given district. Those are termed the "actual tax rates," not the "full value rates" arrived at through the equalization process. Located under the heading "Previous Years Tax Rates" are documents which compile all the county's different property taxes - both "actual" and "full value." It's from the latter of those two sets of numbers that The Post-Journal generated the charts included in today's paper.


TOUGH TIMES


It's not new news that school districts are facing financial challenges while state residents feel property tax fatigue.


A report released last week by the office of the state comptroller assessed the fiscal condition of school districts, having analyzed a series of 22 financial indicators.


One of the findings of the research brief was that although many school districts have begun to react to fiscal challenges, it is imperative that districts employ cost savings and planning strategies moving forward. School districts are highly dependent on local revenue generated through property taxes, the report said. In 2009-2010 school year, nearly 88 percent of school district revenues were generated through state aid or real property taxes. According to the report's findings, property taxes and assessments accounted for 53 percent of districts' revenues that year, with state aid accounting for 35 percent, federal aid for 7 percent and "other local revenue" accounting for 5 percent.


From the streets of Jamestown on Friday, county residents shared their concerns with The Post-Journal - lamenting that taxes are too high and unbearable, though cognizant of the factors which contribute to them.


Samantha Scrickroth was one such resident. Although she said she understands schools need funding and need to remain open for students, she said parents can't afford to pay taxes when they have other expenses. Rather than continue to place more and more of a burden on property owners, Scrickroth suggested the state and local governments generate more from the ticketing of such violations as parking and using cell phones while driving.


BROCTON


John Hertlein has been at the head of the Brocton Central School District for eight months now, making this year's budget his first as superintendent.


This past year, school taxes increased for Pomfret, Portland and Stockton residents in the district by $231.52. As the chart in today's paper shows, school taxes similarly increased between the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years for most all the other school districts as well - with the exceptions of Pine Valley, Clymer, Sherman and a few others.


Other than aid though, Hertlein pointed out that property taxes are the sole source of revenue for districts. That's just how the system is set up, and it's a system, Hertlein said, that shortchanges both the students and the property owners in the state of New York.


"Property taxes are, I think, and I've got to be honest with you, a sad way to collect money for schools," Hertlein said. "Other states find other resources to help support (schools). And I believe even in Erie County there's a part of the sales tax that goes toward schools.


Hertlein continued on in his comments to stress that districts do everything they possibly can to find the balance between providing a quality and equitable education while also trying to maintain an appropriate tax that people can afford to pay.


In similar comment to The Post-Journal, David Hazelton echoed those sentiments. Hazelton is a member of both the Brocton Village Board and the district's school board.


"What we do is we try to figure out what our total needs are going to be and then work toward a budget that makes sense," Hazelton said. "Our costs are dictated not only by the state, but they're dictated by contracts and dictated by other obligations we have to employees like retirement, health care and that kind of start. A lot of it's not even dictated, it's obligated either by past practice or contract."


CHAUTAUQUA LAKE


Residents in the Brocton Central School District pay more in school taxes than many other property owners throughout the county. On the flip side, the Chautauqua Lake Central School District has one of the lowest rates in the county due to the substantial property wealth in the district, Superintendent Benjamin Spitzer explained.


"The Chautauqua Lake Central School Board of Education has always been committed to thoughtful consideration of this circumstance, exploring way to maximize educational benefits for our children, while remaining good stewards of the taxpayers' investment," Spitzer said in a written statement to The Post-Journal. "Furthermore, the CLCS Board of Education remains committed to exploring new and creative ways to manage the financial and programmatic challenges for the future by seeking partnerships and shared service collaborations."


UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES


While school taxes are a concern for residents in all districts throughout the county, Hertlein said Brocton has unique circumstances.


A total of 51 percent of the property in the Brocton Central School District is tax exempt.


"We have a prison, we have a state park, we have a college lodge, we have a cooperative extension and we have several county parks," Hertlein said. "So 51 percent of our property can't get taxed. That means I have 49 percent of the properties paying for the entire district. That's unique to Brocton and may be one reason why some of the taxes seem terribly high."


http://www.post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/581484/Schools-Are-Largest-Burden-To-Taxpayers.html?nav=5192


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            <pubDate>Mon, 21 Mar 2011 09:29:13 -0500</pubDate>
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            <link>http://www.reahomesearch.com/blog/resources-available-to-help-understand-property-taxes.html</link>
            <author>homes@reahomesearch.com (Real Estate Advantage)</author>
            <title>Resources Available To Help Understand Property Taxes</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
March 19, 2011 - By Nicholas L. Dean, ndean@post-journal.com




Property taxes are the largest tax imposed by local governments in the state.


People with questions about their property taxes in specific or property taxes in general can likely find some answers online at the state Office of Real Property Tax Services's website.


The mission of the state's Office of Real Property Tax Services is to "lead the state's efforts to support local governments in their pursuit of real property tax equity."


The Office of Real Property Tax Services is a division within the state Department of Taxation and Finance, which oversees local assessment administration.


The division works directly with county and municipal officials to improve the fairness of property assessments.


The responsibilities of the Office of Real Property Tax Services include: measuring the total market value of each town and city to establish equalization rates and other ratios used to apportion property taxes and state aid; developing values of taxable state-owned land to protect the rights of New York state as a property taxpayer; providing state aid to cities, towns and counties to encourage fair and efficient assessing practices; determining special franchise values for utility property in the public right-of-way; provide utility property advisory appraisals to municipalities conducting reassessments; establishing STAR property tax exemptions to reduce homeowners' school tax bills; certifying and training local assessors to assist them with determining assessments, and setting railroad ceilings.


The State Board of Real Property Tax Services makes determinations in regard to complaints about equalization rates, special franchise values and railroad ceilings.


One of the several sections of the Office of Real Property Tax Services's site is a "Taxpayer Rights and Information" section. From there, visitors to the site can find documents such as a guide for property owners regarding fair assessments. The guide explains how assessors comply with the law that requires all properties in municipalities to be assessed at a uniform percentage of market value each year.


The document answers questions such as who is responsible for assessments and who is responsible for taxes; what the difference is between market value and assessed value of properties; how assessors decide which assessments to change and by how much and more.


LOCAL TAX OFFICE


New to the county's tax department is former legislator James Caflisch.


In December, County Executive Greg Edwards announced that Caflisch would be replacing Alice Growley as tax director in the county's tax department.


Caflisch stepped down from his position as legislator in February and was voted in as the legislature clerk the next month. David Himelein, of Findley Lake, was appointed to the Caflisch's District 21 seat at the same meeting.


A legislator for 20 years, Caflisch has similarly for many years been on the assessment board of review for the town of French Creek.


"Jim's involvement ... and other experiences make him uniquely suited to take on the task of modernizing and streamlining the work of the Chautauqua County Tax Department in partnership with Chautauqua County's local municipalities and New York state," Edwards said in a news release announcing the change.


In addition to serving on the legislature, Caflisch had served on the town of French Creek assessment board of review.


Online at the county's website is a section for the local Office of Real Property Tax. The page has a plethora of information, from tax rolls to rates for multiple years - all broken down by town, village, city, school district, county and more. There's also a delinquent tax lookup function, foreclosure information, grievance information, STAR exemption information and more on the site.


The county Department of Property Tax is located in the Gerace Office Building in Mayville and can be reached by calling 753-4221.


http://www.post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/581483/Resources-Available-To-Help-Understand-Property-Taxes.html?nav=5192


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            <pubDate>Mon, 21 Mar 2011 09:27:49 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.reahomesearch.com/blog/taxing-times.html</guid>
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            <author>homes@reahomesearch.com (Real Estate Advantage)</author>
            <title>Taxing Times</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
These Are The Taxes In Your Neighborhood


March 19, 2011 - By Nicholas L. Dean, ndean@post-journal.com


 




Owning property is costly.


On top of purchasing a parcel and paying for a home, there's the annual cost of property taxes.


Someone who owns property in a village, for instance, pays not only village and town taxes, but taxes to the county and a school district as well.


Included in today's edition of The Post-Journal are several sets of tax numbers. The charts detail the taxes which would be charged on a property valued at $100,000. The figures are broken down to show the taxes on such a property for all the county's school districts and layers of local government. The charts also show the change in taxation from 2010 to 2011.


ON AVERAGE


In the 27 towns of Chautauqua County, there are 78 taxable jurisdictions in which taxpayers paid an average of $444.02 in town taxes, $859.39 in county taxes and $1,760.21 in school taxes for an average tax bill of $3,063.62. The average tax bill increased $102.04 in 2011.


In the county's 16 villages, taxpayers paid an average of $715.97 in village taxes, $385.09 in town taxes, $890.32 in county taxes and $1,760.11 in school taxes for a total average tax bill of $3,751.49. The average village taxpayer's tax bill increased by $162.09.


CHART WORK


From the charts in today's paper, readers can see what a $100,000 property would pay in their particular municipality. At the left-hand side of the chart are the municipalities. Moving right from those municipalities, readers will immediately see a number of school districts - as school districts cross municipal lines, meaning some towns have many school districts within their borders.


The charts are composed the way they are so that readers can find their municipality on the left-hand side of the chart and follow the row along to see what a $100,000 property would pay in all applicable taxes.


Also in today's paper are a number of stories related to local taxation, such as a story addressing school taxes and a story quoting two local town supervisors.




Local Tax Tale Of The Tape


Bemus PointMunicipalityJamestown


$385.09Town TaxesN/A


$859.39County Taxes$891.06


$715.97Village TaxesN/A


N/ACity Taxes$841.86


$1,760.21School Taxes$2,131


$3,063.62Average Total Tax$3,859.42


$102.442011 Average Tax Increase$128.69


                                                                                  


A home assessed for $100,000 in Bemus Point.                           A home assessed for $100,000 in Jamestown.


 


http://www.post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/581482/Taxing-Times.html?nav=5192




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            <pubDate>Mon, 21 Mar 2011 09:26:32 -0500</pubDate>
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