Railroad counsel urges Syracuse reclassification under state "railroad ceiling," board and staff agree to follow up on parcel splits and income data

Counsel for New York Susquehanna and Western Railroad told the Syracuse Board of Assessment Review on Feb. 26 that the city’s assessments for railroad property should be capped by the state-imposed railroad ceiling and that some special charges appear to have been applied in ways that bypass that ceiling.

Nolan Kokoris, an attorney with Bon, Schenick, and King representing the railroad, said the state’s Office of Real Property Tax Services issues a ceiling that limits the aggregate assessed value of railroad property in a taxing jurisdiction. "I would just reiterate that, the railroad ceiling is the upper limit on assessed valuations," Kokoris told the board during his closing remarks.

Kokoris said the final 2024 ceiling had been issued at roughly $4,100,000 and the 2025 ceiling at about $4,400,000, and that the railroad’s position…