§ 534 — Certain state lands subject to taxation for all purposes except county purposes

§ 534. Certain state lands subject to taxation for all purposes except\ncounty purposes. 1. Lands owned by the state acquired for reforestation\npurposes pursuant to section 9-0501 of the environmental conservation\nlaw shall be subject to taxation for all purposes except county\npurposes.\n 2. Such lands shall be valued as if privately owned and assessed in\naccordance with subdivision one of section five hundred forty-two of\nthis article.\n 3. Lands not otherwise subject to taxation and owned by the state\nacquired for reforestation or multiple use purposes with monies from the\npark and recreation land acquisition bond act of 1960 where the total\nacreage of such property or properties in any assessing unit exceeds\nthree thousand acres and comprises at least nine and one-half percent of\nthe acreage of such assessing unit shall be subject to taxation for all\nexcept county purposes.\n a. State lands subject to taxation pursuant to the provisions of this\nsubdivision shall be valued as if privately owned and shall be assessed\nin accordance with subdivision one of section five hundred forty-two of\nthis article.\n b. The commissioner shall annually transmit to the assessors of each\nassessing unit containing such state lands subject to taxation, and to\ntown or county assessors who prepare a copy of the applicable part of\nthe town or county assessment roll for village tax purposes as provided\nin subdivision three of section fourteen hundred two of this chapter,\nfor each such village containing such state lands subject to taxation an\nassessment form containing a list of all such lands therein. In the\ntransmittal of such form, the board shall notify the assessor of the\ndate as of which the state lands are to be valued. Such date shall\nconform to the date which is the basis of the state equalization rate\nestablished pursuant to section twelve hundred two of this chapter and\nrequired to be used to determine the assessment of such state lands\npursuant to this subdivision.\n c. Upon receipt of the assessment form containing the list of state\nlands subject to taxation, the assessor shall provide the commissioner\nwith initial assessments of such state lands. The assessor shall return\nto the commissioner the original assessment form, any proposed\ncorrections to the inventory or description of such lands, the\nassessor's estimate of the value of such state lands determined pursuant\nto paragraph a of this subdivision and the assessor's initial\nassessments of such lands, at the uniform percentage of value\nestablished by the commissioner as the latest state equalization rate or\nspecial equalization rate for the assessing unit.\n d. The commissioner shall review any initial assessment of such state\nland subject to taxation. Such review may include a physical inspection\nof the property, an appraisal, a comparison of sales data, or any other\ntechnique relevant to valuation. Following such review, the commissioner\nmay accept, reject or modify the initial assessment. Where the\ncommissioner accepts the initial assessment, it shall establish the same\nas the final assessment and so notify the assessor. Where the\ncommissioner modifies or rejects the initial assessment, it shall\nsubstitute a preliminary assessment and so notify the assessor. For\ninformation purposes, the commissioner shall provide copies of all\nnotices issued pursuant to this subdivision to the appropriate tax\nlevying bodies of each municipal corporation which levies taxes upon\nsuch state lands.\n e. Following receipt of such list of preliminary assessments, the\nassessing authority may submit proposed corrections to such list to the\ncommissioner, together with such supporting documentation as may be\nrequired by the commissioner.\n f. The commissioner shall, after review of such documentation,\npromulgate a final assessment for each such parcel and transmit a list\nof such final assessments to the appropriate assessing authority, which\nshall then enter such assessments on the final assessment roll for such\nassessing unit.\n g. In instances where the assessor does not provide the commissioner\nwith initial assessments, the commissioner shall promulgate a final\nassessment for each parcel and transmit a list of such final assessments\nto the appropriate assessing authority, which shall enter such\nassessments on the final roll of such assessment unit.\n h. The commissioner shall promulgate rules and regulations, including\nforms and dates for filings, to implement the procedures provided in\nthis subdivision.\n i. Any final assessment promulgated by the commissioner pursuant to\nparagraph f hereof shall be subject to review in a proceeding commenced\nby the appropriate assessing authority pursuant to article seventy-eight\nof the civil practice law and rules.\n