5 Things to Know About the Assessor's Office in Bedford

Have you had the chance to meet Harold Girdlestone, Bedford's (relatively) new assessor?

He took the reigns from Tom Polzella, who announced his retirement from the position last fall. Prior to his December start in Bedford, Girdlestone, a Dutchess County resident, served as town assessor in Yorktown for four years and before that worked in the state Office of Real Property Tax Service for 16 years. 

While interviewing Girdlestone this week on a story about the, we asked him: What would you want to public to know about your office?

Here's what he said:

1. We can help with exemptions

The office can help  ensure property owners receive the property tax exemptions they're entitled to by state law, for example, exemptions available to veterans of the armed services, for those who serve, such as firefighters, STAR, (basic and enhanced school tax relief) and exemptions based on age and income.

2. We have property assessment cards

Homeowners can obtain copies of their property assessment card. You can stop by the office anytime to check details like square footage which can affect the value of a property assessment.

3. We track building permits

If a homeowner is interested in adding on to their property, the offic can help give rough estimates of what building would cost in terms of taxes.

4. Come in and see him

Girdlestone makes himself available to residents who want to discuss their property assessment and can make changes up until June 1. His job is to fairly distribute taxes throughout the community, not to set taxes, he emphasizes. If the assessment seems out of line, he generally applies a "15 percent standard" whereby he may make adjustments within 15 percent of similarly valued properties.

5. Grievance Day

If you're still not happy with your property assessment and you want to challenge, you must file a grievance between June 1 and the third Tuesday of June. Residents will need to have some evidence that property is overassessed, such as a recent appraisal. 

Harold Girdlestone can be found at 321 Bedford Road, or reached by phone: (914) 666-5149 or email: assessor@bedfordny.gov

Thanks for readiing a "special edition" of our "5 Things You Need to Know" column. If you're looking for happenings around town, check out today's for activities!