BY ADAM ATKINSONNorth Country This Week

POTSDAM --  The town board has officially appointed its town assessor. 

Danielle Mitchell, who began working as the town’s acting assessor last year, was appointed  by the board at their meeting Thursday, May 16. 

Mitchell has been serving as acting tax assessor since the spring of 2023 when she was hired to take over for former acting assessor Lachelle Dilcox.

Mitchell has completed all of the state-required assessment courses to be named to the full position, town officials said.

She will complete the current assessor term which ends in September 2025

The assessor and the town are in the midst of a full town-wide tax valuation being conducted by the real estate appraisal and analysis firm GAR Associations LLC of Clifton Park.

The firm will conduct a large portion of the town-wide revaluation of Potsdam’s 5,625 taxable parcels this summer. Property owners will be notified of the new assessments in March 2025.

The last full revaluation of the town’s taxable properties was done in 2013. The town’s goal is to go to a 100 percent equalization rate at the state’s advice. The 100 percent EQ rate will place property tax valuations at market value. Currently the town is assessing properties at a 74 percent tax equalization rate. 

The town is expected to pay GAR around $380,000 for the reval after its completion. 

For more information on the revaluation visit https://www.potsdamny.us/community/town-of-potsdam-revaluation.html .