News Release
For Release: Friday, August 6th, 2010
Contact: Frank Baraff 914-469-3775

Orange City Council Authorizes Reassessment. Mayor Hawkins Says Many Homeowners Could Have Their Property Taxes Reduced.

Last night the Orange City Council unanimously voted to authorize a reassessment of all properties in the city. The Council passed an ordinance authorizing a reassessment program , which could be completed by January 1, 2011. Reassessment is expected to correct an imbalance between residential and commercial values, lowering property taxes for many homeowners.

After a state-mandated property revaluation that took place five years ago when home property values were at their highest level, the tax bills of individual homeowners increased by from 40% to as much as 100%.  The revaluation shifted a major part of the cost of government from commercial property owners to homeowners.

By conducting a reassessment now that residential property values are much lower, Orange can begin to achieve tax fairness and repair the imbalance between residential and commercial property values. 

At the Council meeting on September 7th, Council members will vote on approving a funding resolution for the reassessment and on awarding a contract to the firm that will carry out the reassessment. It is urgent for the Council to vote both approvals on September 7th to make it possible to complete the reassessment by January 1, 2011.

Statement by Mayor Eldridge Hawkins, Jr.

“I want to thank all of the members of the City Council for standing up for homeowners by approving reassessment. The vote last night was a major victory for Orange’s overtaxed residents. If the Council again votes to move forward on September 7th, we should have the updated values on the books for this coming January, and all tax bills after January 2011 will be based on the updated property values.

This means that homeowners whose property taxes increased by hundreds or thousands of dollars after the last revaluation could have their taxes significantly reduced in 2011 compared to what they would pay without reassessment”