Assessor and Board of Review

Assessor

Thomas Birdsall ~ Sole Appointed Assessor
The Assessor’s Office is located in the Town Hall. The Assessor may be telephoned at (518) 623-4593 or emailed at [email protected]. The Assessor receives mail at PO Box 29, Athol, NY 12810-0029.

The tentative assessment rolls are posted online, and may be accessed by clicking on the link on our home page.

2022 Final Assessment Roll

EXEMPTION FORMS

Star and Enhanced

Senior Citizen Low Income

Instructions for Senior Citizen Low Income

Notes About Special Tax Relief Programs

The assessor would like Thurman property owners to be
aware of the following helpful programs:

Basic STAR (School Tax Relief) Program

Everyone who has a legal residence in New York State has the right to apply for Basic STAR exemption on their primary residence, which applies to school (September) taxes. This does not require renewal each year. It does require that the resident notify the assessor if he/she moves out of Thurman and change their legal residence.

Enhanced (Senior) STAR

This program is for any resident who has acquired the age of 65 and whose adjusted gross income is less than $86,300.00. (updated 1-2011). The income cutoff point changes each year with the cost of living. This STAR requires renewal each year since eligibility is based on income.

Aged/Low Income

This is for residents who have reached the age of 65 years and have a low income. Aged/Low Income deduction is in three parts. For the county land tax (January) portion, the maximum income is $23,700. For the Town and School portion of the land tax (January) the income limit is $17,725. These are sliding scales with a maximum exemption of 50%. This also requires renewal each year.

Veterans

Veterans who served during a period of war may be eligible for and exemption from County and Town portion of Land Taxes (January) on their primary residence. Cold war veterans may be eligible for a partial exemption from County Taxes. All applications for both STAR Programs and Veterans and Age/Low Income must be submitted by March 1 of the current year. Inquire at the assessors’ office for the proper forms.

Thurman Board of Assessment Review

The Board of Assessment Review consists of five members from the town who are appointed by the Town Board. Their function is to hear objections by the citizens about their assessments.

If the Board of Assessment Review turns down a person’s request he or she then has the right to go before an arbitrator and try to get satisfaction. If this is turned down they can then proceed to legal action in the Superior court. Usually it is recommended the person meet with the assessor before any of this happens to try to reach an agreement. If this doesn’t work, then the above process can be followed.