Section 511. Assessment disclosure; notice and meetings

1. In the year of a
  revaluation  or  update  of  assessments, the assessor shall, and in any
  other year may, not later than sixty days prior to the date set  by  law
  for  the  filing of the tentative assessment roll, mail to each owner of
  real property therein, an assessment disclosure  notice  in  the  format
  provided  in  paragraph (a) of subdivision two of this section. However,
  pursuant to a resolution adopted by the governing board of the assessing
  unit, other than a special assessing unit or an approved assessing  unit
  which  has  adopted  the provisions of section nineteen hundred three of
  this chapter, such assessment disclosure notice shall  include  in  lieu
  thereof  the items specified in paragraph (b) of subdivision two of this
  section.
    2. (a) Tax dollar comparison. Such notice shall  identify  the  parcel
  for  which  it  has  been  mailed  and  shall  include:  (i)  the parcel
  description; (ii) the final taxable assessment of  the  parcel  for  the
  previous  year;  (iii) the current preliminary taxable assessment of the
  parcel; (iv) as a minimum, the actual extension of city  or  town  taxes
  for the prior year to a hypothetical extension of the same taxes against
  the  preliminary  determination  of  assessed value for the current year
  adjusted for  changes  in  the  condition  of  real  property;  (v)  the
  difference  between  the  actual and hypothetical extensions; and (vi) a
  statement advising the owner of real property that  the  net  difference
  reflected  in  the  statement  does  not  represent  the  property's tax
  liability for any ensuing fiscal  year.  This  notice  shall  contain  a
  statement that tax liability may be affected by changes in (1) municipal
  budgets,  (2)  assessments of other real property prior to completion of
  the final assessment roll, and if school or county taxes, or  both,  are
  compared,  (3)  apportionment of relative municipal shares of county and
  school district levies. The notice shall also contain a statement that a
  publication  containing  procedures  for  contesting  an  assessment  is
  available  at the assessor's office and such other information as may be
  required by the state board.
    (b) Alternative disclosure notice.  Such  notice  shall  identify  the
  parcel  for  which  it has been mailed and shall include: (i) the parcel
  description; (ii) the final taxable assessment of  the  parcel  for  the
  previous  year;  (iii) the current preliminary taxable assessment of the
  parcel; and (iv) an estimate of how much the tax liability of the parcel
  would  change  if  the  preliminary  taxable   assessments   should   be
  implemented  and  if  all other relevant factors should remain constant.
  Such estimate shall be calculated by subtracting the  percentage  change
  in  the preliminary taxable assessment of the parcel from the percentage
  change in the preliminary total taxable assessments  of  the  assessment
  roll  as  a  whole, and dividing that result by the percentage change in
  the preliminary taxable assessment of  the  parcel  and  expressing  the
  result, whether positive or negative, either as a percentage, rounded to
  the  nearest  whole  percentage,  or specifying a range within which the
  percentage falls,  provided  that  such  range  shall  not  exceed  five
  percentage  points.  The  notice  shall further state that the estimated
  change in tax liability is only an estimate, and  that  the  actual  tax
  liability  may  ultimately  be  affected  by  changes  in  (1) municipal
  budgets, (2) assessments of other real property prior to  completion  of
  the  final  assessment roll, and (3) if school or county taxes, or both,
  are compared, apportionment of relative municipal shares of  county  and
  school  district  levies.  In addition, the notice shall state: that the
  preliminary assessments for the assessing unit are subject to adjustment
  prior to the filing  of  the  tentative  assessment  roll;  and  that  a
  publication  containing  procedures  for  contesting  an  assessment  is
  available at the assessor's office.

    3. Subsequent to the mailing of the notice required by subdivision one
  of this section, the assessor and  representatives  of  any  independent
  contractors  employed  in the revaluation program, shall be available to
  provide  explanations  of  the  program,  including   consideration   of
  objections  or  complaints  of  owners  of  real  property  within  said
  assessing unit.
    4. In any assessing unit subject to the provisions of this section, if
  the assessed value of any property on the tentative assessment  roll  is
  different from the preliminary determination of assessed value set forth
  on the assessment disclosure notice described in subdivision one of this
  section,  the assessor, not later than ten days prior to the date set by
  law for the hearing of complaints by the  board  of  assessment  review,
  shall  mail  a  notice  to  the  owner  of  such  property  stating  the
  preliminary  determination  of  assessed  valuation  on  the  assessment
  disclosure  notice  and  the  assessment  set  forth  on  the  tentative
  assessment roll, explaining the procedure to be  followed  in  obtaining
  review  of such assessment and setting forth the date or dates and times
  at which the board of assessment review will  meet  to  hear  complaints
  with respect to assessments.
    5.  Failure to mail either notice described in this section or failure
  of the owner to receive the same shall not prevent the levy,  collection
  and enforcement of the payment of the taxes on such real property.
    6.  No separate notice shall be required to be mailed pursuant to this
  section for property subject to taxation pursuant to title two  of  this
  article  provided  the  assessor  complies  with the notice provision of
  section five hundred forty-two of such title.
    7. The state board shall promulgate rules and regulations  to  provide
  for the implementation of the provisions of this section.
    8. Whenever an assessing unit has mailed assessment disclosure notices
  to  each  owner  of real property therein pursuant to this section, that
  assessing unit is not required to mail notices pursuant to this  section
  if  it implements a reassessment at the same uniform percentage of value
  as the previous reassessment in either  of  the  two  years  immediately
  succeeding that previous reassessment.