OCAA Meeting Minutes 10/21/25

[DelFuoco, Cristine]

OCAA Meeting Minutes  10/21/25

Opening:

Meeting was called to order at 12:55 pm on 10/21/25 at Salina Meadows, 301 Plainfield Rd., Syracuse, by Tom Cardinal.

 

Approval of Minutes:

A motion was made by Rob Bick and seconded by Ann Clancy to approve the minutes from 09/16/25.

In Favor: All

Opposed: None

Motion Carried

 

Treasurer's Report:

A motion was made by Cris Del Fuoco and seconded by  Mike Maxwell  to approve the treasurer's report of September’s ending balance of $935.25.

In Favor: All

Opposed: None

Motion Carried

Please see the attachment to these minutes for the full treasurers report.

 

County Report:

 

Per Kate Kearney:

 

1. 2025 Roll Year: System is locked. One brief unlock earlier for large SCAR entries; no further unlocks.

 

1. Bill Add-ons: Send exemption liabilities/omitted taxes to County by Oct 31 for inclusion on upcoming bills. If not received, County will assume “all set.”

 

1. STAR Comparison Tool A basic HTML module has been set up (select town/school; Basic/Enhanced) to show STAR savings. County to explore hosting on ongov.net so towns can link; County will not place links from County page outward. IT (information technology)discussion pending.

 

1. Beacon (Image Mate replacement):
1. Test site available; County will email the link.
2. Review/feedback window: through Nov 3.
3. Updates: Nov 3–7.
4. Soft link live on Image Mate: Nov 10 (button to Beacon).
5. Full redirect (Image Mate → Beacon): Nov 24.
6. Point of no return: Dec 8.
7. Current test site is generic; County will add a top “parcel summary” band (Town, Owner, SBL/Location, Assessed Value). Less-used fields (grid east/north, deed book/page) moved down.
8. Planned links: Auto-Fill 5217, Tax page, GIS (go to parcel).
9. Login vs public view: no practical difference yet; “Comp Assessments” (assessor-only) will sit behind login later.
10. UI (User Interface) concerns: Text is small; Beacon won’t change base font globally, but the top summary module can be larger.

 

Action: Members to test and send feedback (what you need “up top,” workflow needs, etc.). County to compile and review with Beacon.

 

1. Re-levies & Charges:
1. Lysander passed resolution to re-levy unpaid sewer/water on the property tax bill.
2. Phoenix had past coding misses; vigilance required.

 

Action: Email County with spreadsheets/lists for re-levy and cleanup charges; coordinate omitteds timing.

 

State Report:

 

Per Brendan Lawrence:

 

1. STAR Program Changes (looking ahead to 2026):
1. Seniors no longer apply to assessor for Enhanced STAR; ORPTS will notify and qualify directly.
2. Only one resident owner regardless of relationship age 65+ by 12/31 of the benefit year is required.
3. ORPTS to send letters to Basic STAR recipients about possible switching; new webpage and printable handout coming.
4. Encourage taxpayers to update info online (state site).

 

1. RPS Online (RPS-O) “Road Show”:
1. Demos held (Batavia, Bolton, Albany). Nine towns in Hamilton County first to convert.
2. Training content rolling out; State considering short training videos online (no dates given).
3. Two regional staff (Sadie, Matt Vincent) training to be RPS-O trainers; Syracuse office staff ramping up.
4. County conversion notice: County intends to give ~1 year notice before migrating from “V4/BEFORE” to RPS-O; rough 3-year horizon discussed, dependent on stability.

 

1. Staffing changes:
1. Retirements/role changes noted (e.g., Kate Garbutt retired/ Aaron Lesch has taken over Kate Garbutt’s position as Manager of the Syracuse region; Jeff Gloak taking over the ORPTS director role with Dave Ange’s transition support; Mary Ellen Nagengast planning retirement; Colleen Bourdage is now the regional director and is working on the RPS-O project).

 

1. Hotline: Assessor/Director hotline is for assessors’ offices only; do not share publicly.

 

1. MuniPro: Action: Towns to update MuniPro (Supervisor, Assessor, addresses) after personnel changes.

 

Please see the attachment to these minutes for the full report from the state.

 

Open Issues:   

 

 

Old Business:

 

1. 2026 Slate of Officers:

A motion was made by Rob Bick and seconded by Ann Clancy to approve the following 2026 slate of officers.

 

1. President: Rob Bick
2. Vice President: Ann Clancy
3. Treasurer: Terry Golden
4. Deputy Treasurer: Melissa McConaughey*
5. Secretary: PJ Rinauldo

 

In Favor: All

Opposed: None

Motion Carried

 

*NOTE: Since the October meeting, Melissa McConaughey will no longer serve as the Deputy Treasurer. A new candidate will be announced and voted on at the November meeting.

 

1.  Meeting Schedule Changes:

 

A motion was made by Rob Bick and seconded by Mike Maxwell to approve the following meeting schedule changes to begin in 2026.

 

1. Regular meetings reduced to 8 per year: February, March, May, July, August, September, October, and December.
2. Two training meetings: June and November (to be held in Lysander).
3. Rotation plan for 2025: The Wood (Baldwinsville), Nipsey’s Pub, and Salina Meadows.
4. July meeting to remain at Van Buren Park and December holiday meeting to remain at Tassone’s.

 

In Favor: All

Opposed: None

Motion Carried

 

New Business:

 

1. Meeting Day Change: Proposal to shift from Tuesdays → Wednesdays starting January 2026 to allow greater participation.
   Vote on bylaw adjustment will occur at next meeting.

 

1. Listserv Management:
1. Members noted that reply-all responses share all RSVPs.
2. County IT to review reply-to settings so replies go directly to the event organizer.
3. To add/update emails, contact County (Amy/Brian).

 

1. Associate Membership:
1. Karen Sgroi (Madison County) to be added as an Associate Member (non-voting; pays for meal).
2. Contact information to be forwarded to Melissa McConaughey for inclusion on invitation list.

 

1. Training Session (November)
1. Date: Wednesday, November 19, 2025 – 12:00 PM, Town of Lysander Offices.
2. Topics: RPS Online changes, STAR program updates, Beacon site overview, and RPSV4 report generation.
3. Menu: Antipasto salad, stuffed shells, meatballs, Italian bread & butter, apple crisp with vanilla ice cream.
4. Guest Speaker Invited: Brendan Lawrence, ORPTS.

 

Adjournment:

A motion to adjourn the meeting at 1:41 PM was made by Cris Del Fuoco and seconded by Ann Clancy.

In Favor: All

Opposed: None

Motion Carried

 

Agenda for Next Meeting:

Next Meeting:

11/18/25

Host:

Town of Eldridge

Cristine DelFuoco Assessor ​​​​ Department of Assessment Town of Manlius Office: 315‑637‑9854 Fax: 315‑637‑0713   cdel...@townofmanlius.gov 301 Brooklea Drive | Fayetteville, NY | 13066 My email address has changed. Please use cdel...@townofmanlius.gov for all future correspondence. LEGAL NOTICE: Unless expressly stated otherwise, this message is confidential and may be privileged. It is intended for the addressee(s) only. Access to this e-mail by anyone else is unauthorized. If you are an addressee, any disclosure or copying of the contents of this e-mail or any action taken (or not taken) in reliance on it is unauthorized and may be unlawful. If you are not the addressee, please inform the sender immediately.