The East Hampton Town Board is mulling over legislation that would abolish the board of three elected assessors, instead moving to a model where there is just one board-appointed assessor.
At present, the assessors are elected to four-year terms of office. If enacted, the appointed assessor would enjoy a six-year term.
According to a New York State Office of Real Property Tax Services document posted to the town’s website: “The changing assessor profile in New York shows a steady decline in the percentage of municipalities retaining three member boards of elected assessors. In 1983, half of the municipalities retained elected boards. Today, the trend favors appointed assessors, with six percent of municipalities retaining elected boards and 94 percent opting for appointed assessors.”
So East Hampton Town, by having three elected assessors, is in the six percent category.
The same document lists a number of advantages to making the switch, including having the “authority vested in one person instead of diffused by quorum decision of a three-member elected board” and since only one person would be assessing property values, there would be a more “consistent approach to assessing.”
“Elected assessors, who must run every four years, are not as insulated from political pressures as appointed assessors,” the document states.
The legislation was brought forth by Councilman Ian Calder-Piedmonte.
“It’s a board decision. It’s not the assessor’s decision, but I wouldn’t be doing it over any strong objections, and there weren’t any,” he said. “Another thing, there’s an election next year for two of the assessors and my understanding is that neither of them plans on running for re-election, so the timing is good here. The goal is not to take anybody’s job away and replace them with a sole assessor.”
“My goal is to make a decision by early 2027,” he added. “So that we know whether two more assessors should be running for office or not.”
Councilman Tom Flight wondered what would happen if a single appointed assessor failed to meet the standards of the board. “What does the process of removing that position look like?” Dennis Brown, an assistant town attorney, said he’d get back to the board with an answer.
Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez pointed out that the three current town assessors were in the room: Jeanne Nielsen, who has served for 38 years; Eugene DePasquale, who has served for 24; and Jill Massa, who has served for 35.
“I mean, that’s an incredible body of work, and we’re grateful,” she said. “Would any one of you want to come up and, because you know, Ian had mentioned that you folks were supportive of going to a sole assessor, and what your thought process is as to why you think now may be the time for us, or in the next several years, may be the time for us to do that?”
“I don’t want to put them on the spot and be in a position of advising us one way or the other,” said Mr. Calder-Piedmonte.
“Any takers?” asked the supervisor again.
None of the assessors chose to speak.
If enacted in the coming months, the proposed legislation would abolish the elected positions on Dec. 31, 2027.
