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Residents and council debate assessor turnover as town seeks experienced replacement
Summary
Residents and several council members pressed the Cheektowaga Town Board on recent assessor turnover and assessment appeals during public comment and discussion. Board members said they had recruited an experienced assessor; the staffing approach and oversight prompted debate about pay, hours and local control.
Dozens of residents and multiple council members raised concerns about the town’s assessment office during public comment, focusing on turnover, recent appeal outcomes and the town’s plan to hire a new assessor.
At the meeting, resident Dan Callender said the town has cycled through multiple assessors in a short period and criticized the assessment board’s handling of appeals. “Our assessment department is... a three ring circus,” Callender said, adding he believed several recent appeals were overturned at the State Small Claims Assessment Review (SCAR) level. He said he expected to continue pursuing appeals to SCAR after the town’s recent denials.
Why it matters: property assessments determine taxable values for homeowners. Frequent staffing changes and successful SCAR appeals, commenters said, have reduced public confidence in local administration of assessments.
Board members acknowledged problems in the assessor office and described efforts to recruit a qualified candidate. Multiple council members said the board had interviewed candidates and found an experienced assessor willing to work in a part-time, hybrid arrangement. Several members praised the candidate’s background and said an experienced assessor could reduce outsourcing and litigation costs.
Other council members raised equity and cost concerns. One council member noted that many long‑time town employees had not received pay increases and questioned whether a part‑time, higher‑paid outside hire was equitable. Council members also asked how the town would evaluate the hire in a short trial period, given statutory limits on reappointment and the potential difficulty of ending an appointment midterm.
The discussion also touched on the alternative of turning assessment duties over to the county. Commenters and a council member said the supervisor had initiated talks with the county, but no agreement had been reported. Board members said a county takeover would require negotiation and would reduce local control.
What the town said would happen next: board members and staff described the recruitment as ongoing operational work; several members said they expected the new assessor to begin with an initial, limited schedule and that the board would judge performance before longer‑term decisions were made.
Ending: public commenters reiterated frustration about past appeals and the need for clear communication; board members said staffing and oversight decisions would be evaluated as the new assessor begins work.
