Other Avenues of Contact
Town of Elba:
Hours: 8:00 am – 10:00 am
Phone: 585-757-2762 ext. 2
Town of Oakfield:
Hours: Monday – Thursday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Phone: 585-948-5835 ext. 104
Welcome to the Assessment page for the Town of Oakfield. The following information about real property valuation, dates and procedures should prove helpful. Please contact the office with any questions or concerns.
Important Dates in the Assessment Cycle
March 1st: Taxable Status Date – Deadline for filing exemption applications
May 1st: Tentative Assessment Roll is filed
Grievance Day – Wednesday after the 4th Tuesday in May
Board of Assessment Review meets to hear all properly filed complaints regarding assessments.
July 1st: Final Assessment Roll is filed
The assessed value of each property on the final roll is used for tax purposes for the next year.
Informal Review Process
The Assessor’s Office will continue to offer property owners an Informal Review Process. If you feel your assessment is incorrect then you must provide the Assessor with reasonable information, based on market sales, that supports your opinion of market value. It is the goal of the Assessor’s Office to determine the fair and equitable assessment for your property.
Duties of the Assessor
The assessor is the official who estimates the value of real property within the town boundaries. This value is converted into an assessment, which is one component in the computation of real property tax bills. The assessor maintains the assessment roll – the document that contains every property’s assessment. To do this, the physical description, or inventory, and value estimate of every parcel of real estate in the town is kept up-to-date. All assessment information is public record and available for inspection in the office. The assessment roll shows assessments and appropriate exemptions.
Whom Do I Contact With My Questions?
The assessor is continually communicating with the public, answering questions, and dealing with concerns raised by taxpayers. Anyone can examine the assessment roll and property records at any time.
It is up to individual property owners to monitor their own assessments. Taxpayers who feel they are not being fairly assessed should meet with the assessor before the tentative assessment roll is established. In an informal setting the assessor can explain how the assessment was determined and the rationale behind it.
Assessors are interested only in fairly assessing property in their assessing unit. If your assessment is correct and your tax bill still seems too high, the assessor cannot change that. Complaints to the assessor must be about how property is assessed.
Informal meetings with assessors to resolve assessment questions about the next assessment roll can take place throughout the year. If, after speaking with your assessor, you still feel you are unfairly assessed, ask for the booklet, How to File a Complaint on Your Assessment. It describes how to prepare and file a complaint with the Board of Assessment Review for an assessment reduction and indicates the time it can be done. To learn more about the assessment process, please call the Assessor at 948-5835 ext. 104 or send a fax to 948-8108.
The following are links to easy-to-understand and very informative brochures published by the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance. They are also available at the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance website (tax.ny.gov) and the Town of Oakfield Assessor’s Office.
The Job of the Assessor
How the Property Tax Works
The Property Tax Cycle
Current Tax Roll Information-OARS
Veterans’ Exemptions
Senior Citizens’ Exemptions
How to File a Complaint on Your Assessment
Additionally, the NYS Assessor’s Association publishes a pamphlet titled, Understanding Assessments and Property Taxes, which is also available in the Assessor’s office.