Potsdam residents express anger over 50-100% assessment hikes
GAR Associates, based in Clifton Park, raised property assessments for homes and businesses by 50 to 100%, leaving residents facing a much steeper cost of living in Potsdam. Many property owners say the company has been unresponsive and difficult to contact. Some reported that GAR representatives have been entirely unreachable.
The town contracted GAR in 2023 for $385,000 to conduct the reassessment. The updated property values were mailed out in early March.
Residents were instructed to speak with GAR representatives and complete a form by the end of March if they wanted to request a reduction in their assessments. However, many homeowners reported dissatisfaction with how their concerns were handled. Numerous residents said their assessments contained inaccurate information about home size, features, and property characteristics, often inconsistent with similar homes in the area.
Property owners will still have an opportunity to formally challenge their new assessments with Town Assessor Danielle Mitchell on Grievance Day, scheduled for the end of May.
During the town board's regular meeting on Tuesday, residents filled the meeting hall and voiced their frustrations directly to officials.
Homeowner Bill Paige described GAR's reassessment of his property as "false."
"I brought pictures of my property in and I brought the assessment that was sent by GAR to my place. I updated it because it was false. I give it to the assessor. I've heard nothing back," Paige said.
He added that since early March, he has visited the assessor's office twice and made multiple calls to GAR with no response. "They won't answer my call and I want to know what the status of my property is," he said.
Paige, who lives in a capped basement with his medically disabled wife and relies on Social Security, said he originally intended to build a ranch house but couldn't afford to complete it.
"The cost of living goes up two, two-and-a-half percent a year. I've got a 300% increase on my property and I live in a capped cellar that I had appraised back the last time at $70,000 and now it's $232,000. I don't think it's fair," he told the board. "I don't think I'm getting the help I need to get it moving."
"The roof needs replacing, the bathroom needs redoing, the bees are coming through in the upstairs. And I brought that in, they had the size of the house wrong," Paige said. "Nobody is going to give me $232,000 for my property no more than they would give me $100,000."
Another homeowner, Tracey Haggett-Sloan, submitted a packet to the board that raised questions about GAR's methods and procedures. She accused the company of failing to adhere to state-mandated ethical standards, which require objectivity in assessments.
"Are they not biased in favor of the township to raise the assessment and increase the LOA and try to capture unrealized capital gains for the purpose of taxes? Wouldn't that be considered biased? That's against the conduct," she said. She claimed GAR was specifically hired to increase property values. "Didn't GAR rely on the unsupported conclusion that the town had to raise assessments?"
Haggett-Sloan said the process was sloppy and unfair to property owners. She noted that residents requesting records of comparable sales that informed their assessments were not provided with that information. During her floor time — and using time donated by other attendees — she criticized GAR's approach, saying the company lacked the "geographic competency needed" under state law to conduct accurate assessments in Potsdam.
She cited incorrect square footage and missing details or photos in assessment documents. "To date I have not received any tangible information as to the type and or extent of the analysis utilized by GAR," she said. She also criticized the online complaint form used by GAR, which she said many residents struggled to use effectively.
According to Haggett-Sloan, the assessments were supposedly based on local property sales, but only 161 properties were sold last year — just 0.3% of all parcels in Potsdam. Only 36 of those sales were over $250,000, or 2% of sales and 0.07% of total properties. She also cited the town's poverty rate of 17.3% and questioned whether GAR considered that in its valuations.
She said state law restricts property assessment increases to 6% annually or 20% over five years — far below the increases announced by GAR.
"Are we little more than in-service to the tax?" Haggett-Sloan asked. She said she plans to speak with Canton Town Supervisor Mary Ann Ashley about reconsidering the use of GAR for a similar project in that municipality.
Several other property owners echoed these concerns, sharply criticizing both the town officials and GAR. Some pointed out that Waddington chose to delay implementing its reassessment due to similar issues and suggested Potsdam should do the same. They also cited complaints from Troy and Ogdensburg about GAR's work and questioned the company's credibility.
Others claimed GAR used outdated satellite imagery rather than up-to-date property information. Some reported that structures no longer on their land were still listed, including misidentified "patios" that were actually old concrete pads from removed mobile homes.
The final assessment roll is available to view online at wdt.me/3wZcuN
The town's Board of Assessment Review will meet around May 27 to hear unresolved grievances from property owners. The final assessment roll is scheduled to be submitted on July 21.
Mitchell, the town assessor, holds office hours from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 18 Elm St. She can be reached at 315-265-2810.
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