The home of Allen Gontz and Larissa Fawkner at 30 Elderkin St. is the focus of an ongoing property assessment dispute. Gontz and Fawkner believe that they have not been treated fairly and have asked the village to intervene on their behalf with the town. Their home is part of the former 1880’s NY Standard Oil and Co. warehouse site. The top photo shows the house as it looks today. The bottom photo is of the warehouse building prior to renovation more than a decade ago. Photo submitted.
BY ADAM ATKINSON
North Country This Week
POTSDAM — Two Elderkin Street residents are asking the village to intervene on their behalf with the town in a property assessment dispute which they estimate caused them to overpay $18,925 in property taxes between 2021 and 2023.
And, the village is looking into the issue for them with the town assessor’s office.
Larissa Fawkner and Allen Gontz of 30 Elderkin said their property assessment was increased by 32 percent in 2022 with no improvements to the property, but that clerical errors and errors of material fact were present which inflated the assessment from $274,000 to $362,000, up $88,000.
Requesting refund
Fawkner and Gontz, were traveling when the assessment rolls were posted in May 2022 and missed the opportunity to voice objections during the grievance period. However, they have submitted a NYS RP556 refund form to the town assessor’s office and to the village board of trustees. The form is an application for a reimbursement of their tax overpayment.
Such a form can be submitted at any time of the year and outside the normal grievance period.
“The state does not have jurisdiction over the local assessor office. That responsibility falls to the Local Boards of Trustees. Without oversight and accountability, an Assessor’s office can make random assessments and increase a property assessment to inflict financial harm, or decrease assessments to benefit others,” Gontz said during the public comment section of the August…
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