Big crowd turns out to support full-time assessor

By THANE GRAUEL

A crowd squeezed into the Town House meeting room on Tuesday evening to speak in support of Pound Ridge Town Assessor Diane Briganti and keeping the position she holds full time.

The Town Board has advertised the assessor position, saying it will be vacant as of Oct. 1. The new position will be part time and mostly remote.

Following the public comments, town officials said no staffing decision has been made yet. They explained that the proposed changes in the role, combined with technology upgrades, are intended to achieve efficiencies and cost savings.

People have spoken earlier at board meetings asking why Briganti might not be kept. The topic has also been an active topic on social media. The Town Board had an agenda item Tuesday to discuss having the position full time or part time. 

There was a lively discussion in which no one from the public favored cutting the position to part time. No decision was made by the board.

John Nathan told the Town Board how he and his wife recently found themselves in an unusual situation where a property they bought was vacant, but still taxed as if it had a house. He said Briganti took the time to look into it, and while ultimately nothing could be done about it for two years because of state law, Briganti took it upon herself to research the situation and keep him informed. 

“I’m sure that if I called the IRS, the response, if I could have gotten somebody on the phone, would have been ‘shut up Buster, pay the damn tax.’ She was really extraordinarily helpful,” Nathan said. “I find it impossible to believe that any part-time assessor would have spent the time that she spent on my particular problem.”

Mary Ann Condon said she’s lived in Pound Ridge for 48 years and has sold real estate in the area since 1998.

“I’ve visited every single assessor’s office in northern Westchester County more than once,” she said. “All of their offices appear to have not only a full-time assessor, but part-time help. And we’re thinking about having a part-time person work remotely?” she asked.

Condon said Briganti over about 10 years has changed the assessor’s office.

“Her office is organized, her files are in excellent condition, and she’s responsive to questions and concerns for not only real estate agents but title company representatives, attorneys, and most importantly, our residents,” she said.

“I strongly believe in the importance of a full-time position and retaining Diane.”

A man who gave his name as Aristotle said he moved to Pound Ridge in 2017 and had never spoken before a board.

“We deserve a full-time tax assessor that’s going to give us their undivided attention, not a part-timer who, quite frankly, I don’t think could do the job remotely,” he said. He said he called the office over the summer with a question about a pool, “and within two seconds she emailed me tax maps ... everything I needed.”

Pete Marchetti, a member of the town’s Board of Assessment Review, also spoke in favor of Briganti.

“Working with Diane Briganti, our present full time at the Town House tax assessor, she reviewed and evaluated 90 properties this year and provided to our board analysis in great detail for each property, with extensive notes and comparisons for our Board of Review to make decisions on these applications,” Marchetti said. “Diane presented extensive knowledge of the properties and their unique features.”

“The town assessor job, in my opinion, is not a part-time post, and especially not a position that can be adequately served remotely or part time,” he told the Town Board.

He mentioned the 250 or so town residents who have signed a petition to keep Briganti.

Kathryn Finelli, a realtor, said Briganti “is the only assessor that gets back to you on time.” 

“I’ve had deals actually stay together because of that,” she said. “She’ll get me the information I need, I get back to the client, and they’re so happy.”

Michele Jordan, who has held assessor and related positions in several municipalities including Pound Ridge, said making the position part time “does a huge disservice to the residents of the town.”

“There is no way a part-time remote assessor can adequately perform the required tasks,” she said. “This is not a job you can do with Google and the Westchester County Municipal Tax Viewer.”

Alex Goldfarb also mentioned the petition.

“To get over 250 people to take the time to sign something is pretty darn good,” he said.

He said the position should remain full time “for the town’s financial health, and shouldn’t be influenced by favoritism. It requires complete focus of the individual. It’s not something that can be done as a side job, and certainly not remote.”

Efficiencies and tech upgrades cited

The job position advertised on the town’s website reads in part:

“The Town of Pound Ridge is seeking applicants for a part-time Town Assessor position. This appointment would take effect on October 1, 2025. This appointment would be for a six-year term, commencing on October 1, 2025, and ending on September 30, 2031.

“The successful applicant would be expected to work some hours in the Assessor’s Office, at the Town of Pound Ridge Town House, based on their availability, but would otherwise work remotely.”

After the public comment, Supervisor Kevin Hansan thanked the speakers.

“It’s always great to hear that people are happy with town employees,” he said. “That’s always encouraging. We always like to know that they’re doing well.”

Member Dan Paschkes explained why the discussion was being held. 

“It’s not only moving to a part-time position, it’s a combination of moving to a part-time position, and also upgrading the technology associated with that office and how it functions,” he said. 

“So, there is savings moving to a part-time model because you not only have a lesser salary to go in the assessor’s position, but also savings in benefits that you would otherwise have for that full-time assessor,” he said. “We are a small town with a small tax roll where, when we have an opportunity to create a more efficient model. That’s something we want to consider.”

He said they’ve gotten feedback from other small towns where it has worked well.

“The decision has not yet been made,” he said. “We’re still discussing it amongst ourselves.”

“We realized that there are strong feelings on both sides of the issue. We realize that a lot of residents in town have expressed strong viewpoints about this,” he said. “But part of our role as a board is to explore available options.”

A decision will need to be made in the near future, Paschkes said. “ And we are listening to everybody’s points of view.”

“You want to make sure you’re not making decisions just based on today, or based on decisions based on past practices, but based on decisions on where you think you’re going to be going forward,” Hansan said. “And so, we’ve been doing this collectively throughout all the town departments, and so this one is, you know, it’s a six-year appointment, and that’s where we’re at.”

Editor Thane Grauel has been a journalist in Connecticut and Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties New York for 38 years. Reach him at thane@therecorder.org.