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Seneca County supervisors discuss exploring a county assessor model; Local Law B tabled
Summary
Supervisors discussed whether to study creating a county assessor position to provide succession planning and standardized revaluation schedules; the Human Resources committee tabled proposed Local Law B of 2025 pending additional information and noted a June 14 deadline for the local-law process.
Members of Seneca County's Human Resources and Government Operations committee discussed exploring a county assessor position as a possible alternative to individual town assessors. Proponents said a county assessor could provide succession planning, allow rotating revaluation schedules, and enable cost-sharing so smaller towns could afford accredited assessors. Concerns were raised about what would happen if a town opted out and about the county'level duty to defend assessment legal challenges.
One supervisor suggested a phased approach with a declining fee scale so town contributions to the county assessor role would decrease over time as services consolidated. Members recommended exploring memorandums of understanding with towns and consulting assessors about operational details. The committee did not take a final vote to create the position; rather, members agreed to gather additional information and stakeholders for further study.
Separately, the committee tabled proposed Local Law B of 2025 pending more information; members noted an administrative deadline of June 14 to move local-law work forward. The committee also approved multiple vacancy refills and proclaimed April 2025 as National County Government Month; a hiring request for the district attorney position was withdrawn.
Next steps: staff and interested supervisors will evaluate feasibility, draft potential memoranda of understanding, and return with stakeholder input and implementation options for further consideration.
