On-Site Surveys To Begin

In City Revaluation Project

By IAN AUSTIN • for www.AllOTSEGO.com

ONEONTA – Joe Emminger, president of Emminger Newton Pigeon & Magyar Inc., appraisers from Buffalo, updated Common Council this evening on the city’s revaluation.

Using information gleaned from a mailer sent to the 3,500 properties last year, the firm created updated models of area neighborhoods based on square footage, building styles, age, proximity to colleges, as well as land boundaries. The new maps show the housing values in different areas of town based on these inputs.

“We will now be doing a field review,” explained Emminger. “We will go look at each property and compare it to our data and make appropriate adjustments.”

Emminger went on to stress that while the assessments on houses may show an increase in the property value, the amount the owner will pay in taxes cannot be determined until the end of the project:  An increase in valuation does not necessarily translate into a tax increase.