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Southold Town to allow online tax grievances

Southold taxpayers planning to dispute their tax bill must do so online this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The Southold Town Board approved a resolution permitting grievances to be e-filed at a meeting Tuesday.

“Town Hall will be closed for the foreseeable future and the online submission process provides another option to make sure the public has a convenient way to file,” Supervisor Scott Russell said Wednesday. “It also reduces the need to travel.”

Mr. Russell said assessors will also accept grievances via U.S. mail.

Town assessors, currently working on a tentative roll, are following a revised tax calendar this year as a result of the health crisis. Earlier this month, a drive-through window opened at the Town Hall Annex, located at 54375 Route 25, for residents to pay their property taxes which are due by June 1. The drive through remains open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Town and County officials have also asked Governor Andrew Cuomo to extend the deadline for paying taxes without penalty to July 15.

Tax grievance day has been rescheduled from May 19 to June 23 and the final roll must be filed August 1.

Kevin Webster, who chairs the town’s Board of Assessors, said grievances may be filed starting June 1. The grievance board will issue decisions on August 1, Mr. Webster said.

In 2019, there were 1,030 residential grievances filed.

“Adjustments to the normal course of doing business need to be made based on the current restrictions as a result of COVID-19,” Supervisor Russell said. “Some of those adjustments will become part of the framework for how governments operate even after the doors open again.”

For more information, visit https://southoldtownny.gov/96/Assessors. Grievance forms are available online at https://www.tax.ny.gov/pdf/current_forms/orpts/rp524_fill_in.pdf.