Municipal Law

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

The following terms and phrases are commonly used in New York State revaluation programs (source: New York State Office of Real Property Services):

1. ANNUAL REASSESSMENT PLAN - The municipality's program for physically inspecting and reappraising each parcel at least once every six years and sustaining current full value annually.  The plan must provide information on resources, funding, functions to be performed, and tentative project schedules, including, but not limited to, staffing, data processing support (including hardware and software), re-inspection schedule, analysis methods and reappraisal schedule.

2. ASSESSOR - The individual or the Board of Assessors serving as the assessor in the municipality.

3. COD - Coefficient of Dispersion - The average deviation of a group of numbers from the median expressed as a percentage of the median.  In ratio studies, the average percentage deviation from the median ratio. - IAAO, Standard on Ratio Studies, July 1999.

4. COMPANY - A qualified firm that submits a formal proposal in response to these specifications.

5. COMPUTER-ASSISTED MASS APPRAISAL (CAMA) - A procedure by which values are estimated for parcels by means of computer-based calculations incorporating statistical methods where appropriate.  Residential parcels are often valued by the sales approach, utilizing multiple regression analysis (MRA) or the adaptive estimation procedure (AEP), and direct sales comparison to the most comparable properties, as well as through the cost approach, utilizing land schedules, cost tables, and depreciation information.  Vacant land parcels are valued through land schedules that are derived by MRA or AEP models of comparable land sales.  Commercial, industrial, and utility properties are usually valued through direct sales comparison using cost-based, income-based, and market-based value per-unit data, as available and appropriate.  Data adequacy and accuracy are key considerations in developing CAMA estimates.  For reliable results, use of data from outside the assessing unit may be necessary in the case of smaller assessing units and/or less-numerous types of property.

6. CONSORTIUM - A group of municipalities entering into a cooperative effort to undertake a municipal-wide reassessment project using the same contractor.

7. CONTRACT ADMINISTRATOR - The municipal official who represents the municipality in all legal matters with regard to this project.

8. CONTRACTOR -  The company that enters into an agreement with the municipality to provide the professional contract services described in these specifications.

9. CREW CHIEF - (field supervisors) the person(s) responsible for the recollection and/or field verification of data collected by the data collectors.  The crew chief monitors and ensures the quality, consistency and accuracy of all of the data.  The crew chief must be trained as a data collector and have six month's prior experience as a data collector.

10. DATA COLLECTOR - An individual responsible for the field collection and recording (on the appropriate ORPS data collection document) of real property valuation data. The data collector must have completed a program of training that includes, at a minimum, "Fundamentals of Data Collection, R/F/V."  See Section 4.8.6.

11. DATA MAILER - A computer-generated report listing, enumerating and describing selected data elements.

12. FIELD REVIEW - The process of identifying market value through the review of appropriate valuation documentation from the public right-of-way.

13. FIELD REVIEWER - The individual with experience and knowledge of valuation techniques employed on this project for the property categories for which he/she will be responsible.  A field reviewer must have completed the same training as required for a data collector.  The contractor shall specify the level of qualifications and credentials of data collectors employed for this project and assure that all field reviewers have been engaged in similar employment in at least two municipal-wide reassessments previously.

14. FINAL ASSESSMENT ROLL - A document containing assessment and exemption information on all parcels in a municipality.  It differs from the tentative assessment roll with respect to changes ordered by a board of assessment review, assessments and ceilings made by the State Board and ownership and address changes since the tentative roll. 

15. MUNICIPALITY - The municipal jurisdiction that is being reassessed.

16. ORPS -  The New York State Office of Real Property Services.

17. PRD - Price-Related Differential - The mean divided by the weighted mean.  The statistic has a slight bias upward.  Price-related differentials above 1.03 tend to indicate assessment regressivity; price-related differentials below 0.98 tend to indicate assessment progressivity. - IAAO, Standard on Ratio Studies, July 1999.

18. PARCEL -  A separate, tax map designated, assessed lot, parcel, piece or portion of real property.

19. PROJECT - The overall effort, including the activities of all participants.

20. PROJECT ADMINISTRATOR -  The municipal official responsible for overall project management and analysis, direct project coordination and represents the municipality in all contract administrative matters.

21. PROJECT DIRECTOR -  The contractor staff member who will be responsible for contractor project management, coordination of all contractor activities and who will represent the contractor in all contract administrative matters.

22. RFP -  This request for proposal which contains specifications for the contractual services phase of the municipality's reassessment project and serves as the senior document, the basis for resolving disputes.

23. RPS -  The New York State Real Property System.

24. RATIO STUDY - A ratio study is an analysis of the relationship between assessments and market value (i.e., assessment ratio) for those parcels where a recent market value indicator - a sale or an independent appraisal - is available.  The study utilizes the assessment ratio data and applicable statistical methods to determine the overall or average percentage of current market value that the assessments represent.  The ratio study may also measure the extent to which the average assessment ratio is changing over time thus quantifying the assessment adjustment necessary to maintain current market conditions.  The statistical methods and indicators used in the study include measures of central tendency (mean, weighted mean, median); measures of variation (coefficient of dispersion, coefficient of variation, price-related differential); measures of association (multiple regression, correlation); and significance tests (binomial test, Z-test).

25. REAPPRAISAL - The process of physically inspecting and reappraising each parcel.  Reappraisal refers to the valuation of a single parcel.

A) Physically inspecting - at a minimum, observing each property from the public right-of-way in order to ascertain that the physical characteristics necessary for reappraising are complete and accurate.

B)  Reappraising - developing and reviewing an independent  estimate of market value for each parcel by the appropriate use of  one or more of the accepted three approaches to value (cost,  market, and income). *

26. REASSESSMENT - A systematic analysis of all assessments, either within an assessing unit or within a class of a special assessing unit, to assure that they are at the stated uniform percentage of value as of the valuation date of the assessment roll upon which the assessments appear.  It is synonymous with the terms revaluation and update. A reassessment can be completed by a reappraisal of parcels, trending of parcels to current value, or a combination of both. *

*NYSORPS "Guidelines for the Annual Aid Program (aka Guidelines for Annual Reassessment)", October 2005

27. RPTSA - The Real Property Tax Services Agency of Westchester County.

28. STATE BOARD - The New York State Board of Real Property Services.

29. STATE BOARD'S RULES -  The New York State Rules and Regulations for Real Property Tax Administration that established standards of certification for state financial reimbursement (9 NYCRR).  The State Board's Rules that must be adhered to are those that in force as of the date of contract execution.

30. SYSTEMATIC ANALYSIS - The four-step process of reassessment which includes the gathering and grouping of data and information, application of accepted analytical techniques both diagnostic and prescriptive and the subsequent validation of results before the filing of a tentative roll.

31. TAXABLE STATUS DATE - The ownership and physical condition of real property as of this date are assessed according to a value fixed as of the valuation date in the year that the reassessment is to be implemented. 

32. TENTATIVE ASSESSMENT ROLL - A preliminary assessment roll whose assessed values and exempt amounts are subject to grievance by a taxpayer before a Board of Assessment Review. The roll does not become final until this Board has acted upon all grievances. 

33. TRENDING - The process of applying factors based upon criteria such as property type, location, size, and age, developed from assessment-sales ratio studies or other market analysis, to groups of properties to maintain uniformity of assessments at the stated uniform level of assessment.

34. VALUATION - The process of estimating market values for all parcels in the municipality using mass appraisal procedures which are in compliance with standard 6 of the Uniform Standards of Professional Practice of the Appraisal Foundation.

35. VALUATION DATE - All real property is valued as of this date. 

36. VERIFIED PARCEL - A parcel for which the inventory data has been field verified for completeness, corrections entered onto the inventory file, file edited by computer and corrected for any errors.

37. WORK/WORK PRODUCTS - The services to be performed/delivered by the contractor.