§ 310 — Assessor

§ 310. Assessor. 1. Selection. Each local government to which this\ntitle applies which has the power to assess real property for purposes\nof taxation shall have one assessor. An appointive assessor shall be\nappointed by the legislative body of the local government except that in\na local government where department heads and other local officers are\nappointed by the chief executive officer, such assessor shall be\nappointed by such officer. Any resident of the state, otherwise eligible\nfor appointment as assessor, may be appointed assessor. An assessor may\nbe employed by the local government in any other position not\nincompatible with the office of assessor.\n 2. Term of office. The term of office of assessor shall be six years\nexcept as otherwise provided in subdivision seven of this section. The\nterms for appointive assessors shall commence on the first day of\nOctober, nineteen hundred seventy-one and each sixth year thereafter.\nWhere a town has exercised the option to elect one assessor, as provided\nby section three hundred twenty-nine of this article, the term for such\nelected assessor shall be as of the first day of January, nineteen\nhundred ninety-four and each sixth year thereafter.\n 3. Classification. The position of appointive assessor shall be in the\nclassified service, notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (e) of\nsection thirty-five of the civil service law.\n 4. Minimum qualification standards. No person shall be eligible for\nappointment as assessor unless he meets the minimum qualification\nstandards established for such office by the commissioner.\n 5. Certification and continuing education. (a) All assessors, whether\nappointed or elected, must obtain commissioner certification of\nsuccessful completion of the basic course of training and education\nprescribed by the commissioner pursuant to this title.\n (b) In addition to the basic course of training and education, all\nappointive assessors and any assessor elected to a six-year term shall\nalso complete additional courses in a continuing training and education\nprogram prescribed by the commissioner pursuant to the provisions of\nthis title.\n 6. Training; services by state; county cooperation. The commissioner\nshall provide training programs including but not limited to courses of\ntraining and education required to be completed by local officers and\nemployees and by candidates for certification as eligible for the\nposition of assessor in accordance with the provisions of this title.\nSuch programs shall be provided by the commissioner for counties, cities\nand towns to which this title is applicable. Counties shall cooperate\nwith the commissioner in providing such programs.\n 7. Indefinite term for assessors. Notwithstanding the provisions of\nsubdivision two of this section, the office of assessor shall have an\nindefinite term (a) where the office of assessor is a full time position\nas determined by the local legislative body and on or after August\nfirst, nineteen hundred seventy is classified in the competitive class\nof the civil service at the request of the local legislative body or (b)\nwhere on July thirty-first, nineteen hundred seventy the office of\nassessor is classified in the competitive class of the civil service and\nhas an indefinite term pursuant to law.\n