Questions concerning your Real Property ASSESSMENT should be directed to the Town Board of Assessors at Town Office 845-255-9388 Meetings are by appointment, Mon.-Fri 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.
Questions concerning your county, town or sewer district TAX BILL should be directed to the Town Tax Collector at Town Office 845-255-9675.
Questions concerning your school district tax bill should be directed to the respective School District ...

 

New Paltz Central School District 845-256-4017

Wallkill Central School District 845-895-3301

Pine Bush Central School District 845-744-2241

The town is divided into three school districts, namely New Paltz Central, Wallkill Central and Pine Bush Central School Districts. You may contact the town Assessors office (845-255-9388) to determine which school district your property is located in. Generally, the area of the town located north of US Route 44-55, the hamlet of Gardiner, the area along NY Route 208, Albany Post Road and McKinstry Road is located in the New Paltz Central School District. The area of the town located south of US Route 44-55 except as noted above is in the Wallkill Central School District. A very small section of the town along Tillson Lake Road near Rutsonville Road is in the Pine Bush Central School District.

You may be eligible for one or more exemptions, which can help reduce your real property taxes. Exemptions include the STAR exemption for residential property, Veteran’s exemption, Agricultural exemptions, Forest Land exemption, Clergy exemption, etc. A complete list and descriptions can be found at the NYS Office of Real Property Services website or contact the town Board of Assessors.

No. The town assessor helps determine your share of the total taxes. The amount of taxes raised by the town is determined by the amount of anticipated annual expenses less anticipated revenue sources (i.e. state aid, etc.). The town’s operating budget is determined annually by the Town Board. The budget process begins in late September each year, with the annual public hearing on the town budget typically held in early November. The budget is approved by the town board and tax bills are computed by the county. Combined county and town tax bills are mailed on or about January 1st. The amount of your tax bill represents your proportional share of the expenses based on your real property assessment.

The first step is to determine the market value of each property in the community. Market value is the price most people would pay for a property in its current condition. The town assessors maintain a detailed data base of land and improvements in the town. They periodically visit properties to check for any change that may affect the value of the property. Once the assessor estimates the market value of a property, its assessment is calculated. New York State law provides that all property within a municipality be assessed at a uniform percent of market value. In Gardiner, the level of assessment is intended to be 100 percent of market value based on 2004 market values.
Everyone pays his or her fair share of taxes as long as every property in a locality is assessed at the same percent of value. Simply, the person who owns a property assessed at $500,000 will pay twice the town tax of a person who owns a property assessed at $250,000. Other factors, such as the equalization rate, may affect the amount of county and school district taxes paid by comparable owners in different towns

A complete list of town tax rates, county tax rates, school tax rates and analysis is available at the Ulster County real property website.

Contact the town Board of Assessors to review your data file. Be prepared with information about the area (square feet) of your house or building, the acreage of your land, recent changes in the condition of the property which may affect the fair market value, etc. The assessors will review your case and may also refer you to comparable properties for comparison purposes.
If you are not satisfied with the assessor’s response, you may file a formal grievance application with the town’s Board of Assessment Review This 5-member board of citizens meets once a year following the publication of the assessment rolls to hear individual petitions for changes in assessment. "Grievance Day" is held on the fourth Tuesday in May each year. The sessions are organized but informal. Appointments are necessary. You can represent yourself or be represented by legal counsel. The essential requirement is that you do your "homework".
If you are not satisfied with the ruling by the Board of Assessment Review, you can file a Small Claims Assessment Review in Ulster County Supreme Court if your property is a 1, 2 or 3-family residence or a small vacant, unbuiladbel lot. Commercial and large acreage properties require filing a legal action in state Supreme Court, as do cooperatives, condominiums, apartments and any buildings with a non-residential use.

Bills for county/town real property taxes are mailed during the first week of January. Property taxes can be paid in-person at Town Offices, Monday-Friday during regular office hours; by US Postal Service (Tax Collector, P.O. Box 1, Gardiner, NY 12525) or by other delivery service (Tax Collector, Town Offices, 133 Main St., Gardiner, NY 12525). All payments must be accompanied by a copy of the tax bill. Do not mail cash payments. Checks accepted subject to collection and returned check charges. Make checks payable to Tax Collector, Town of Gardiner.
You have the option of paying one full payment or two half payments (1/2 by 1/31/2006 and 1/2 by 5/31/2006). If paid by January 31, 2006, there is no interest penalty. After January 31, penalties are added to total tax due. No tax payments will be accepted by the town Tax Collector after May 31, 2006, when the tax rolls are forwarded to the Ulster County Treasurer.
School districts are responsible for mailing school district property tax bills during the month of September.

The Section-Block-Lot (SBL) number refers to the tax maps maintained by the Ulster County Real Property Tax Service Agency. These maps depict the location and approximate size of each parcel of property listed on the assessment rolls of the town of Gardiner. The map sheet number is the Section, which is further divided into Blocks and individual Lots (i.e. SBL 93.68-1-29 = Section 93.68, Block 1, Lot 29 is a 0.50 acre parcel located on Murphy Lane). The SBL tax map number is being increasingly used as a general reference identifier for taxes, building permits, zoning permits, etc.

No. The town tax collector is not authorized to accept any property tax payments without a copy of the property tax bill (mailed in January, 2006). The tax collector has no way of predicting your 2006 property tax bill.