Shuchi Shah / The New Pine Plains Herald
About 40 Ancram residents attended a May 21 Town Board meeting to raise concerns about rising property assessments, pressing town and county officials on how the new values were calculated and whether the increases would lead to higher tax bills.
Town Supervisor Colleen Lutz told residents that higher assessments do not automatically mean higher tax bills. Tax bills are ultimately determined by the budgets adopted by the town, county, and school district, she said. The reassessment process, she said, is meant to ensure that the tax burden is shared equitably.
The town completed an assessment trending process in April, bringing assessed property values in line with current market values. Assessed values are used by the town and county to calculate property taxes. Market values reflect what a property owner would likely receive if the property were sold on the open market.
Libby McKee, a real estate agent and Ancram homeowner, questioned what comparable sales — nearby property sales used as benchmarks in reassessments — were considered, and asked for greater transparency about the methodology.
“I think many residents are not objecting simply because values have increased,” McKee said. “They are questioning whether these rapidly escalating assessments are realistic, equitable, and sustainable for the long-term future of the community.”
Mark Taylor, director of Columbia County Real Property Tax Service, attended the meeting and directed property owners to the county’s website, where residents can review property sales information used in assessments. Town Assessor Rene DeLeeuw said he reviews building department records to account for renovations that affect property values. The Board of Assessment Review addressed individual concerns on Grievance Day, held Wednesday, May 27.
Lutz reminded residents that the assessor works independently of the Town Board, under state guidelines.
“If we didn’t do it this year, we were probably going to be looking at a full revaluation, which is a lot more expensive,” Lutz said. “If it wasn’t going to be this year, it was most definitely going to be next year, because the state was really after us, because of the rate at which our equalization was falling.”
Assessed values in Ancram were at 90% of market value in 2025. The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance estimated that equalization rate would fall to 80% in 2026, according to Taylor.
In other business, the board approved a motion to appoint Doug Larson and Beth Corteville as members of the Zoning Revisions Committee, along with Matthew Bernstein and Michael Del Rossi as alternate members. The board also appointed Darren Mosher as an alternate member of the Planning Board.
The next Ancram Town Board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. June 18.