Presumption of Validity of Property Tax Assessment Rebutted

In affirming Supreme Court’s determination that petitioner’s Adirondack land had been over-valued for property tax purposes, the Third Department thoroughly examined the appraisal techniques employed and explained the review process as follows:

…[W]e  find that petitioner rebutted the presumption of validity of the disputed tax assessments, by presenting a detailed competent appraisal by a qualified appraiser, based upon accepted appraisal techniques, which constituted substantial evidence of overvaluation and presented a genuine dispute concerning valuation … .  Upon  review of Supreme  Court’s determination that petitioner met its burden of establishing, by a preponderance of the evidence, that parcels one  and  two  had  been  overvalued, we “weigh the entire record” … and  “review the trial court’s finding to determine whether it is supported by or against the weight of the evidence” … .Valuation of assessed property presents the court with a factual question…, and this Court   will defer to the trial court’s decision “unless such  finding is based upon [an] erroneous theory of law or [an] erroneous ruling in the admission or exclusion of evidence, or unless it appears that the court . . . has failed to give to conflicting evidence the relative weight which it should have and thus has arrived at a value which is excessive or inadequate” … . Matter of Adirondack Mountain Reserve v Board of Assessors of the Town of North Hudson, et al, 515190, 3rd Dept, 5-9-13