Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-11-03 newsletterDeputy Clerk <ulysses.deputy.clerk@gmail.com> Ulysses Updates for 11/3/23 1 message Carissa Parlato, Town Clerk <ulysses.clerk@gmail.com>Fri, Nov 3, 2023 at 3:54 PM Reply-To: ulysses.clerk@gmail.com To: Google Groups <town-of-ulysses@googlegroups.com> Hello Ulysses, See this week’s updates below and enjoy your weekend! IN THIS WEEK’S ULYSSES NEWSLETTER: Update from Supervisor Olson Drinking Water Protecon Survey Skywarn Weather Spoer Training Community Forum on Israel/Palesne Elecon Informaon Public Hearings & Special Meengs East Shore Dr. Pedestrian & Bike Study Facebook page Dog Census UPDATE FROM TOWN SUPERVISOR OLSON: Those weren't goose feathers falling on Wednesday! As always, I'm appreciave to our Town Highway Department for keeping all of us safe on the roads. At the last Town Board meeng (10/24/23), we approved the conversion of the Highway Department into a Department of Public Works, which will connue to be led by elected Highway Superintendent Sco Stewart. We took this step to right-size the department to work already being performed, parcularly service to our Jacksonville water users (Water District 3). A quick reminder that the Town will be hosng a Public Information Session on the proposed recreaon land acquision on Thursday, November 9th from 6:30-8pm at the Trumansburg Fire Hall. Quesons can be submied in advance through Wednesday, November 8th (email clerk@townofulyssesny.gov) or submied when you arrive. Join via Zoom or in person at 74 W. Main St., Trumansburg NY 14886 , and we will post the video aerwards on the Town's YouTube page. Here are some new quesons I've received recently about the land acquision: How has the assessed price of property changed in Ulysses over me? Property assessment is handled for Ulysses by the Tompkins County Department of Assessment. Any property owner in Ulysses can aest that the assessed value of homes in Ulysses has increased significantly in the last decade. In 2015, the average home in Ulysses was assessed for $165,000, and in 2023 that same average home is assessed for $238,000. This reflects an increase in the average home price assessment of $73,000 or 44%. In comparison, in 2015 the assessed value of vacant farmland per acre in Ulysses was $4,000 and has increased 0% according to the Tompkins County Department of Assessment. Very lile in the United States has not increased in value since 2015. According to the US Department of Labor, inflaon rates between 2015 and 2023 increased 31.699%, making nearly everything more expensive What is the difference between an assessment and an appraisal? Both assessments and appraisals are useful real estate tools, and frequently are different from one another. A property assessment is calculated by the Tompkins County Tax Assessor's office and is the property they think reflects value. According to Tompkins County Assessor Jay Franklin (per the Department email sent to the public on 10/20/23), one responsibility of his office is "to maintain an equitable assessment roll by ensuring all properes [in a municipality] are assessed at a uniform rao of market value." In comparison, the Consumer Financial Protecon Bureau (a federal government enty), describes the purpose of an appraisal is to "give you useful informaon about the property. It describes what makes it valuable and may show how it compares to other properes in the neighborhood." Mulple reasons exist for why the neither the Town of Ulysses nor New York State are required to use the assessed value of a property instead of the appraised value to determine a purchase price. One is because appraised values can be more precise and reflecve of market condions in a parcular part of a municipality instead of the municipality as a single enty. (i.e. One neighborhood may be more desirable--and therefore have a higher appraised value--than another to purchase or develop property.) A second important reason is because tax assessors are employed by the government. Indeed, the Fih Amendment to the US Constuon declares "nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensaon." (The Town is not taking land by eminent domain, but the same general concept applies that the government should pay a fair price for land.) If a government is purchasing land, it makes sense to have someone other than a government employee determines the value. Third party appraisals allow both the government buyer and the private property owner to understand that they are receiving an unbiased evaluaon of the fair market value of a property. Is it common for assessments and appraisals to be different? It is common for property appraisals and assessments to be different in areas where properes are hard to find to purchase and where demand exceeds availability. (Talk to any realtor operang in Ulysses if you want more informaon on that.) For instance, in 2022 Camp Barton was assessed by the government for $3.65 million, yet appraised by a third-party appraiser in 2022 for $5.05 million. This higher number was what New York State is paying for the property. (The Town of Covert has the same appraiser as the Town of Ulysses.) This difference in valuaon reflected a 38% increase in perceived value between the assessed value and the appraised value. Ulmately, property owners have the right to sell their property for what the market will bear, while the Town of Ulysses and New York State are bound to not spend more than the value determined by an independent third party. This is to make sure that the public is geng a fair deal for any purchase. DRINKING WATER PROTECTION SURVEY: How is your drinking water? We want to know! All Ulysses residents (outside the Village of Trumansburg) will receive a postcard in the next 10 days with a link to a Drinking Water Survey. The Town of Ulysses is encouraging everyone to use this survey to describe where they get their water from, and any problems with its’ quanty or quality, such as taste, color, or odor. Paper copies of the survey will also be available at the Town Hall or you can go directly to the online survey at https://arcg.is/1DO1TT0. Responses are requested by November 22. The informaon will be a crical element in developing a comprehensive Water Source Protecon Plan that will ensure sustainable drinking water resources throughout Ulysses in the coming years. A generalized summary of the Survey results will be presented at a Workshop in early 2024, along with useful guidance such as how to protect groundwater wells and filter systems for improving drinking water quality. For more informaon, you can contact the Ulysses Source Water Protecon Plan Commiee by emailing Linda Liddle, WSPPC Chair liddlela@verizon.net. Informaon about the Drinking Water Source Protecon Plan project and updates are posted on the Commiee’s webpage at https://townofulyssesny.gov/boards/wsppc-source-water-protection- committee/ TOMPKINS COUNTY HOSTS WINTER SKYWARN COURSE ON NOVEMBER 14TH When: Tuesday, November 14th from 6:30pm – 8:00pm Where: Tompkins County Dept. of Emergency Response 92 Brown Road, Ithaca, NY 14850 Objective: To train storm spoers about winter storms and what to report to the Naonal Weather Service (NWS) and Emergency Management relang to snow, ice, rain, and flooding. Topics Include: Informaon on SKYWARN and its goal, the NWS mission and the importance of spoers and ground truth reports and examples of how spoers can help forecasters warn the public; winter weather hazards, winter weather terminology, winter storms including snowstorms, blizzards, lake effect snow, rainstorms, flooding and ice storms, winter weather and flood safety, how to get winter weather informaon and procedures for reporng snowfall, ice, flooding and rainfall to the NWS. Who Should Attend: Individuals who are interested in becoming SKYWARN weather spoers, feeding valuable informaon to the Naonal Weather Service. SKYWARN spoers are independent of any government agency and are not by definion “Storm Chasers.” The class is free and open to everyone. No age requirements or previous training is required. For More Information and to Register: https://weather.gov/bgm/outreachSKYWARNtraining. COMMUNITY FORUM: Cornell University Professor Ross Brann will speak about “The Origins and Ramificaons of the Current Crisis in Israel/Palesne” on Tues., November 14th at 7pm in the Fellowship Hall (69 East Main St.). Dr. Brann teaches a course on this topic and has won the highest teaching award that Cornell offers. He will address the following quesons: What condions preceded the current crisis? What prompted the current war at this me? What might things look like when it is over? Is there any hope for the future of these two peoples? Come learn about this important topic and have your quesons answered. This event is free. ELECTION INFORMATION: POLL WORKERS NEEDED: For the Town’s Special Elecon on 12/6 but also for the 11/7 General Elecon, specifically at the West Hill Community Church polling site. Call TC Board of Elecons at (607)274-5522 or visit https://tompkinscountyny.gov/boe/pollworker for more informaon. GENERAL ELECTION 11/7/23: · Early voting through Sun. 11/5 · Sample ballot · Absentee ballots: o Nov 6- Last day to apply in person o More informaon at https://tompkinscountyny.gov/boe/absentee PUBLIC HEARINGS & SPECIAL MEETINGS: (View details for all on Town’s calendar) Thursday, Nov. 9 - Public Informaon Session on Recreaon Land Acquision, 6:30-8pm Friday, Nov. 10 – Town offices closed for Veterans Day EAST SHORE DRIVE PEDESTRIAN AND BIKE STUDY: The Town of Ithaca Planning Department invites anyone interested to aend the East Shore Drive pedestrian and bicycle safety corridor open house with engineering consultants Barton & Loguidice at the Boynton Middle School cafeteria on Wed., November 15th from 5:45-7:15 pm. The engineers will share informaon on and display schemac alternave plans for NYS Route 34 between Boynton Middle School and the Ithaca Youth Bureau (James L. Gibbs Dr.). This project is developing a feasibility study for a capital project to improve the safety for pedestrians and bicyclists and develop designs to link exisng mul-use trail infrastructure on approximately 700’ of East Shore Drive (NYS-34) between Boynton Middle School (N. Cayuga Street) and the Ithaca Youth Bureau (James L. Gibbs Dr.) This is a key corridor providing an important link to Stewart Park and the Cayuga Waterfront Trail for walkers, joggers, and cyclists of all ages and from various City of Ithaca neighborhoods, as well nearby Town of Ithaca and Village of Cayuga Heights neighborhoods. The corridor is also an important and busy transportaon route for cars and trucks, including the locaon of on- and off-ramps for NYS-13 with access to NYS-34. For more informaon, visit https://www.town.ithaca.ny.us/east-shore-drive-pedestrian-and-bicyclist-safety- corridor-project/. FACEBOOK PAGE: Visit our Facebook page and share with your friends! The goal of the page is to share useful and important informaon with a wider audience, but not to engage in dialogue on that plaorm. As always, please stop in, call, or e-mail with any quesons or concerns on municipal issues. Follow our page at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550846207662 DOG CENSUS- STILL TIME TO LICENSE YOUR DOG: The town is conducng a town-wide dog census and needs your help... · If you DO NOT have a dog, please respond at https://forms.gle/PmQ49SPsvESGZind9 so that we can eliminate you from our mailing list. · If you DO have a dog that does not yet have a license, complete the form at https://townofulyssesny.gov/__cms/docs/Dog-license-form-2022.pdf and return along with rabies/spay informaon. Any dogs found to be unlicensed aer the census period will be assessed a $25 fee in addion to the usual licensing fees. For informaon, contact the clerk’s office at ulysses.clerk@gmail.com or call (607)387-5767 ext. 221. Thanks for your help! ### If you are receiving this as a forwarded message and would like to sign up to receive it directly, visit https://groups.google.com/g/town-of-ulysses -- PLEASE NOTE: Please update my address to ulysses.clerk@gmail.com as I am not receiving messages at other addresses at this time. Thx Best, Carissa Parlato, CMC (Certified Municipal Clerk), RMC (Registered Municipal Clerk) Ulysses Town Clerk, Tax Collector, Records Manager, Notary Public 10 Elm St. Trumansburg NY 14886 (607)387-5767, ext. 221 Hours: M-F, 10am-3pm (or by appointment) https://townofulyssesny.gov/ Get the latest updates on the town- sign up for the e-newsletter! Click here. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "town-of-Ulysses" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to town-of-ulysses+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/town-of-ulysses/CABMwf_Derf30% 3DQwugG1T6wNkg2EdpGiNkLWsSO37tD0cX3kFHw%40mail.gmail.com.