Starkey sees challenges filling assessor position

STARKEY--In a trend that has become more common recently across the region, the town of Starkey is having a difficult time finding a new assessor. In the meantime, current Starkey Assessor Anthony DeStephen has put off his retirement so that things continue running smoothly.
"The problem is there have been very few qualified candidates," said DeStephen. "There is quite a rigorous course of training that we have to go through to be certified through the state. A candidate must want to be involved in government in this end, it is not one of the most popular positions in local government and our group of assessors is an aging group, there aren't a lot of younger people interested or who even know this position exists."
Town Supervisor George Lawson said it has been a reoccurring issue in trying to find a replacement for DeStephen and as a result, the town board worked hard to convince him to hold off on his retirement.
"(DeStephen) fulfills a very important role and we are very happy he has agreed to stick around while we look for a replacement," Lawson. said.
According to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, an assessor is, "a local government official who estimates the value of real property within a city, town, or village's boundaries. This value is converted into an assessment, which is one component in the computation of real property tax bills."
While most taxpayers are familiar with their property assessment, the detail and amount of work that goes into the profession extends beyond only the number they see.
"Many people have ideas on how it works but few have knowledge of the fundamental processes we have to go through," DeStephen mentioned. "We have to know and be familiar with real estate, sale and value, deed transfers, we need to know how to read deeds and look at surveys and process all that information and determine assessed value of property which is then used for an extension of taxes in a fair and equitable manner."
On a county level, multiple municipalities have had difficulties filling an open assessor position. The legislature even talked about having a county assessor who could then be loaned out to municipalities as needed.
"We did research having a county assessor when the town of Jerusalem assessor left," said Yates County Administrator Nonie Flynn. "We were going to hire an assessor and provide the service to Jerusalem, however, they ended up hiring their own. So, we do not have a county assessor at this time. The need has to come from the towns for us to hire one. I know this is an issue across NYS because so many assessors are retiring and there are not people trained to fill those positions."
If needed, Flynn said the county would again consider hiring a county assessor.
"This position is critical to municipalities because our primary source of revenue is from the property taxes that we collect on the properties that are assessed by the town assessors," Flynn added.
All assessor positions in the county are presently filled, but DeStephen said many are getting older and nearing retirement or worse, facing burnout.
"Many assessors reach a burnout level... very few people understand... it's a skill that is learned, you have to learn how to work with New York state officials to ensure everything is equitable. A lot that goes in behind the scenes is way more than people comprehend," DeStephen added.
While the preference would be for a qualified candidate to come along and allow DeStephen to retire, he said he is willing to train a replacement over the next year or so.
"This is my 26th year... and I am willing to stick around until Starkey is set," DeStephen stated.