The Town of Rye is seeking a qualified candidate to serve in the position of Senior Real Property Appraiser in the Assessment Department. The Town contains approximately 11,110 parcels and has a substantial commercial property tax base. The Town maintains assessments at 100% of market value and the last full revaluation was done in 2011.
SALARY: $60,000 – $85,000 (commensurate with experience)
This is a competitive class position and applicants may be required to take a Civil Service test.
Top Five Skills:
Strong interpersonal skills
Good judgement
Thorough knowledge of theory, principles, practices and laws governing real property valuation and assessment in the State of New York
Experience with property sketches, blueprints and tax maps
Experience with Appraisal field work of both commercial and residential properties
GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES
General: Under the direct supervision of the Assessor, responsible for obtaining and reporting factual/relevant data supporting real property value estimates. Assists the Assessor in all aspects of assessment administration, field operations, assessed values, and maintaining an equitable assessment roll. Performs a variety of related technical and administrative tasks to ensure the smooth and effective operation of the Assessment Department.
Assessment Database/Computer: Assists in the maintenance of the assessment data/inventory in the NYS Real Property System (RPSV4) database, as well as on the Vision Government Solutions database used for CAMA modeling. Maintain/update parcel records, inventory, and assessed value changes.
Property Inspections: Conducts field inspections and measurements of buildings. Inspects properties after a transfer/sale, for assessment challenges, and as requested by the property owner. Collects data, and records findings/changes in assessment database. Maintain detailed records and files.
Building Permits: Reads and interprets sketches, building plans/specifications. Generates or re-draw sketches using computer sketching program like Apex. Analyzes/updates parcel inventory from building permit data.
Analytics/Research: Analyzes sales data to update parcel inventory. Uses MLS and assessment database to analyze sales. Evaluates residential/commercial assessed values. Analyzes increases/decreases in assessment roll by neighborhood. Researches property owner inquiries and reports findings.
Tax Mapping/Changes/Subdivisions: Assists in all aspects of tax map preparation and keeping them up to date. Makes changes to assessment database and tax maps for splits/merges. Enter new sub-divisions on official tax maps.
Assessment Appeals: Participates in Grievance Day preparations and Small Claims Assessment Review (SCAR) hearings. Researches comparable sales and negotiates settlements for SCAR proceedings. Assists the Assessor in the defense of commercial assessment challenges (tax certiorari).
Exemptions: Assist with exemption inquiries, applications, and renewals, as needed. Assist with income valuation for the senior citizen exemptions, as needed.
Report Generating: Prepares detailed, factual and analytical reports of valuation/parcel based on certain criteria including, but not limited to, property use class, section and neighborhood. Creates custom reports in assessment database (RPSV4) for various analyses.
Communication: Communicates and explains assessment practices, exemptions and regulations to taxpayers. Communicates with the public, professionals, boards, and officials on complex assessment issues and inquiries.
Staff Supervision and Development: Assumes tasks of absent personnel, as required. Assists and directs staff on complex issues and inquires. Responsible for the execution of office policy and administration of the department in the absence of the Assessor. Supervision of the assessment department staff may be required.
MINIMUM REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS
NYS Appraisal License: Residential or commercial NYS appraisal license.
Construction/Building Knowledge: Ability to read, and understand building plans and specifications and knowledge of building construction practices/costs. Strong math skills and ability to perform calculations of land/floor areas.
Additional Qualifications:
Thorough knowledge of the practices and procedures used in appraisal, assessment and/or real property valuation, including real property terminology, documents and forms
Excellent communication skills required to interface with the public, town departments and officials
Thorough knowledge of Excel
GIS experience, a plus
Ability to effectively use computer software applications such as spreadsheets, word processing, calendar, e-mail and database software
Knowledge of NYS exemptions
Ability to prepare written and oral reports
Ability to understand and follow complex technical oral and written directions
Ability to get along well with others (good team player)
Ability to supervise the work of others
Proficiency with appraisal sketching software such as Apex
MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE:
(a) Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and three-years of satisfactory full-time paid experience in an occupation involving the valuation of real property such as appraiser, valuation data manager, or real property appraisal aide/technician. Two-years of this experience shall have been in a full-time paid position requiring the use of independent judgment in the appraisal of real estate, including the preparation of original written detailed reports.
(b) Graduation from an accredited two or four year college* with a major in a related field and a minimum of twelve (12) credit hours in real property appraisal courses and one (1) year of satisfactory full-time paid experience as described in (a), that also requires the use of independent judgment in the appraisal of real estate, including the preparation of original written detailed reports.
SUBSTITUTION: Satisfactory completion of 60 college credits* in a field related to real property appraisal may be substituted for one (1) year of the experience described in (a), however, two (2) years of experience must have been in a full-time paid position requiring the use of independent judgment in the appraisal of real estate, including the preparation of original written detailed reports.
NOTE: Unless otherwise noted, only experience gained after attaining the minimum education level indicated in the minimum qualifications will be considered in evaluating experience.
*SPECIAL NOTE: Certification as an Assessor by the NYS Office of Real Property Services may be substituted for one (1) year of the above experience (exclusive of the specialized experience). Education beyond the secondary level must be from an institution recognized or accredited by the Board of Regents of the New York State Department of Education, as a post-secondary, degree-granting institution.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENT: Real Property Appraisers must complete a basic course of training as prescribed in NYCRR Title 9, Chapter 1, Part 188, Subpart 188-5.6.: Possession of a license to operate a motor vehicle in the State of New York.
A complete job description may be obtained from the Town of Rye website, http:www.townofryeny.com.
Resumes should be emailed to assessor@townofryeny.com.