Grand Island residents press town board to pause 2025 property reassessment; board schedules workshop, tables suspension motion

A large group of Grand Island residents told the Town Board on April 21 that the town should suspend its 2025 property reassessment amid what they described as hundreds of apparent errors and large, unexplained valuation swings.

The most detailed public comment came from Mike Madigan, a Grand Island resident, who said the town has received “over 700 complaints so far” and that the assessor’s office has already made roughly $17,000,000 in adjustments. He and several other residents said many similar houses on the island received widely different reassessments and that commercial-to-residential shifts in assessed value are increasing the residential tax burden. “Nonresident commercial properties, 205 out of 250, saw tax decreases…shifting over $700,000 onto residents,” Madigan said.

Why it matters: The reassessment affects tax bills across the island. Several speakers said older residents and others with limited ability to appeal could be disproportionately harmed if the reassessment is certified without further review.

Councilman Daniel Kilmer, who led the board discussion on the topic, presented data he said showed a sharp increase in complaints and adjustment dollars compared with the last reassessment. Kilmer moved to suspend ("toss") the reassessment and asked the board to halt certification while anomalies are investigated. He said, “I’ll make a motion to suspend the reassessment until we get the answers that we’re looking for.”

Board response and next steps: Other board members pressed for more information from the assessor’s office and the contractor handling the reassessment before taking a final, formal vote to suspend. After extended discussion about the available data and the legal/timing consequences of either suspending or certifying, the board voted to table Kilmer’s suspension motion and immediately schedule a public workshop with the contractor and the assessor so members could hear the vendor’s explanations and ask questions. The board’s stated intention was to hold that workshop as soon as notice rules allow and, if necessary, vote from that special meeting.

Residents’ concerns summarized: Speakers described a range of problems, including apparent data-entry mistakes (wrong number of bedrooms/bathrooms), what one resident called AI-generated or non-visual imagery used by the contractor, large percentage increases for otherwise unchanged homes, and an apparent pattern where some commercial properties fell in assessed value while many residential properties increased. Speakers said the appeal process places the burden on homeowners to prove errors rather than on the assessor to validate assessments.

What was not decided: The board did not adopt a formal suspension of the reassessment at the April 21 meeting. Instead the board tabled the suspension motion and instructed staff to arrange a workshop where the assessor and the contractor will present and answer questions. The board said it may vote at that workshop or return the matter to a subsequent regular meeting for action.

Ending: The Town Board asked the assessor’s office to make comparables available to residents who request them, and the board said the upcoming workshop will be livestreamed so residents can observe the discussion. The board set a short-term schedule goal to convene the workshop as early as legally possible so members could decide whether to suspend, amend, or certify the reassessment after hearing the contractor and the assessor.