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Written by Lee Fischman

Category: The Goods

Published: 12 November 2018

This analysis was submitted by Scarsdale resident Lee Fischman. Last year he co-chaired the Scarsdale Forum's Assessment Revaluation Committee and authored a draft report on the 2016 revaluation which was not published.

Property assessments are a cornerstone of Village finance and yet are based on an imprecisely valued asset: homes. They therefore tend to be notoriously inaccurate, unstable, and often controversial. When they get too far out of whack, a municipality-wide revaluation is called for.

What’s the state of Scarsdale’s assessment? The following analysis uses data provided to me by Village staff. I’ve had my work reviewed by at least one qualified, neutral person and will gladly provide it to anyone else who asks (contact the Editor and she will forward the request). A footnote describes what data was left out of my analysis , which runs from 2010 through June of this year. In the charts below, the term “Roll Year” is used, but since roll years are updated in the fall, the roll year 2017 actually includes the first six months of 2018. I could not provide an analysis past June 2018 because disqualifying “condition codes” were not yet applied by staff to certain records; I would urge that these be amended on a timelier basis, or a decision to conduct a future revaluation could be needlessly delayed for lack of information.

Equity is a critical aspect of assessments; residents want to know that owners of differently valued properties are each “paying their fair share”. The leading statistic for this purpose is currently the Price Related Bias (PRB). Below is a chart of Scarsdale’s PRB over time.

Pricing bias was decidedly negative in the years leading up to the 2014 revaluation, indicating that assessments undervalued more expensive properties. The 2014 revaluation appears to have flipped assessments to slightly favoring less expensive properties. While continuing to use the 2014 roll, in 2015 assessments become strongly progressive, at a level which probably was outside of reasonable bounds. The reader may recall that the Assessor cited market price movements as a major reason why a new revaluation was necessary, although she did not show them.

The 2016 revaluation resets the PRB to a nearly equitable level. This surprised me, as I distrusted the 2016 revaluation as much as anyone else! However, by the following year, using data from September 2017 through June of 2018, the PRB again trends towards greater progressivity. Preliminary indications (not published) are that this trend continues.

How accurate have initial assessments been over the years? The following chart tells the story. Prior to 2014, properties were on average over-assessed. In following years, they seem on average to have been under-assessed. Final, post-grievance assessments could have lessened the (positive) extremes seen below, provided a homeowner took the chance to grieve. Of course, an average is just that, and so the vertical lines show the spread of assessments. (For you nerds, they extend 1 standard deviation either way and assume a symmetric distribution.)

The 2014 revaluation also appears to have increased the average error in assessed values versus sales prices; this aligns with a major criticism of the estimating method used in the 2014 revaluation, that it introduced additional error into valuations. Interestingly and surprisingly given problems with the 2016 revaluation vendor, that latter effort appears to have modestly reduced overall error. Further results indicate that while the 2014 revaluation did nothing to improve valuation accuracy, the 2016 valuation brought assessment accuracy to its lowest point since 2010. That is even more amazing considering that this author believes the 2016 revaluation involved guesstimates.

These statistics matter a great deal because they deeply affect our pocketbooks, our sense of fairness, and they change over time. The public needs to be shown this information and probably more, on a regular basis and next time preferably not by a private citizen, but by Village staff. We need to publicly monitor the health of the current assessment, and together understand when new revaluations are required.

1) My analysis excluded:

• Christie Place sales
• All data with inadmissible condition codes
• New construction or renovations within two years, on the reasoning that assessments would be out of  date for these.
• Land sales

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Written by Joanne Wallenstein

Category: The Goods

Published: 21 November 2018

Mary Langford and Rena LiThe Section 1 Volleyball awards dinner was held November 19th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in White Plains. Two Scarsdale High School seniors (and varsity team captains) -- Mary Langford and Rena Li -- were named All Section and All Conference.

The Junior League of Central Westchester held their holiday boutique on November 7 at lake isle Country Club.

We found wonderful hats, scarves and sweaters, beautiful jewelry, home décor, food and more. Twenty percent of all vendor proceeds were donated to the JLCW, supporting its mission to improve the lives of individuals and families in Central Westchester County including White Plains, Eastchester and Greenburgh. Some of the programs the JLCW runs include the Westchester County Diaper Bank, which provides diapers to families in need, monthly literacy and book donations to Head Start children in White Plains, and several others.

Dunkin’ Donuts, now known as simply “Dunkin’ has opened in Hartsdale. The store is sleekly designed, bright and welcoming. Find all your favorite coffees, along with donuts and sandwiches.

Donuts from the new Dunkin' in Hartsdale

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Written by Joanne Wallenstein

Category: The Goods

Published: 30 October 2018

The holidays are around the corner with Hannukah coming early this year, beginning on Monday night December 3rd. Mark your calendars for these three holiday gift fairs, where you’re sure to find something to please everyone on your list – and something for you too!

Junior League Holiday Boutique On November 7:

The Junior League of Central Westchester (JLCW) will hold its 32nd Annual Holiday Boutique on Wednesday, November 7, 2018, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Mulino’s at Lake Isle Country Club in Eastchester, NY. Funds raised at the Holiday Boutique will enable the JLCW to continue its important work of improving the lives of children and families throughout Central Westchester County.

Open to the public, the Holiday Boutique is a one-stop shopping destination featuring more than 40 local vendors offering a wide variety of merchandise, including jewelry, scarves, spices, home goods and more. There will be favorite vendors from years past, along with a host of exciting new vendors to explore.

In addition, there will be photos with Santa available for purchase from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and live music from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

“The Holiday Boutique is an important fundraiser for our League, and we appreciate everyone who helps make it a successful event. Proceeds from the event enable the JLCW to offer programs to our community that promote health and literacy, provide necessities to the underserved, empower low-income families, help preserve community history, and train effective community volunteers,” stated Sandra Katz, President of the JLCW.

Twenty percent of all vendor proceeds will be generously donated to the JLCW, supporting its mission to improve the lives of individuals and families in Central Westchester County including White Plains, Eastchester and Greenburgh. Some of the programs the JLCW runs include the Westchester County Diaper Bank, which provides diapers to families in need, monthly literacy and book donations to Head Start children in White Plains, and several others. The suggested donation for admission is $10. Cocktails and raffle tickets will be available for purchase and guests may enter for a chance to win one of several fabulous prizes!

Bet Am Shalom Judaica Craft Show November 3-4Glass by Emmanuel Bouzaglou, Zefat, Israel

A dazzling array of Judaic crafts and jewelry will be shown and sold at the 24th Bet Am Shalom Judaica Craft Show. Saturday, November 3, 8-11 p.m., and Sunday, November 4, 10 a.m-5:30 p.m. This juried show includes hundreds of works of art, crafts and jewelry from the U.S. and Israel. Works are available in all price ranges, in ceramics, silver, glass, etc. for ritual, decorative and practical use in the home and synagogue.

Festive Opening Night on Saturday with live musical entertainment, wine and refreshments. Admission is $12 per person for the Saturday night event and $8 on Sunday (Sunday re-entry free if paid Saturday night). Children under 13 are free. A discount voucher can be found online.

At Bet Am Shalom Synagogue, 295 Soundview Avenue, White Plains, NY.
For additional information and directions visit visit www.betamshalom.org/judaicacraftshow
or call 914-946-8851 Monday – Friday.

Women of Reform Judaism Holiday Boutique November 27

On Tuesday November 27, the Women of Reform Judaism will hold their holiday boutique at Westchester Reform Temple at 255 Mamaroneck Road from 10 am – 5 pm. There will be dozens of special vendors offering a wide array of merchandise at every price point for everyone on your holiday list. Find jewelry, clothing, housewares, artisanal food and crafts. Admission is free and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to charity.