For Immediate Release – February 7, 2011
(HUGUENOT, NY) – The Deerpark Town Board unanimously approved a resolution last night to partner with the Orange County Office of Real Property in managing and updating records in the Deerpark Tax Assessor’s Office. A similar resolution was passed last week in the Orange County Legislature with the assistance of Legislators Dennis Simmons and Melissa Bonacic. The deal, brokered by the Deerpark Town Board and the Office of Real Property, will have the County provide services and personnel to update all tax parcel records in the town over the next two years. The town will pay the county approximately $60,000 per year, but it will achieve a total cost savings to taxpayers of an estimated $25,000 in year one and an estimated $46,000 in year two. Cost savings were achieved by providing part time labor rather than full time and by contracting with the County.
“An update of this office was crucially needed in our town,” said Supervisor Karl A. Brabenec. “With the County’s help and expertise, they will be able to move this department from a 1990’s paper filing system to 2011 standards and technology. They will also utilize specific software and use the Internet to improve the accuracy of many of the parcel assessments and make available to our residents more detailed information about the taxable property in our town.”
The move was also made possible with the recent retirement of longtime Assessor Kathleen Smith. The County Office of Real Property has recently done a similar project in the Town of Monroe. The County will commence operations of the local office in February. When the project is completed in two years, the town will have to option to restructure the office or to create a shared services office with a neighboring municipality.
