Monroe County's most under-assessed suburb is starting work on an update that is expected to at least double residents’ property values.
It’s a process that has sparked uproar and panic in communities across Monroe County as values are brought in line with a hot housing market.
Webster hasn’t done a reassessment since 2004, and assessed property values for both the town and village are 48% of actual market value, according to state tax data.
“If the market continues to be as aggressive as it has been, especially on the residential fronts, people can certainly expect their assessments to double,” said Donna Komor, the town of Webster’s assessor. “I expect it will be more, but I can’t say by how much more at this point.”
Perinton, East Rochester and Pittsford are just ahead of Webster at 57% of market value. Brighton, which cancelled its reassessment in the spring amid intense backlash over spiking valuations, sits at 59%.
“Revaluations are often met with skepticism, misunderstanding, and anxiety,” Webster Town Supervisor Tom Flaherty said in a statement. “This fear is driven by misinformation that a change in a property’s assessment will necessarily cause tax bills to increase. The Town of Webster’s goal is to be a reliable source of information and resources for our community throughout the entire revaluation process.”
Every town in Monroe County that has undergone a reassessment in recent years has seen dramatic increases in assessed value. A years-long boom in home sale prices is driving the increases. Some houses in Brighton stood to see more than a $500,000 increase in assessed value. In Webster, median home sale prices in Webster have climbed from $175,000 to $370,000 in just the past decade, Greater Rochester Association of Realtors records show.
Higher assessments do not necessarily translate to higher taxes, though.
If a town has a large increase in assessed value, typically the tax rate will go down, moderating any change in a property’s tax bill. State law dictates that the total among a community can collect in taxes cannot increase by more than 2% or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower. So, in this scenario, properties with low assessment increases could see a lower tax bill.
For example, Rochester’s 2024 assessment saw a total assessed value increase of 68%, with the average house’s assessment in some neighborhoods more than doubling in value. For those that saw an increase of more than 60%, their property taxes increased, and vice versa.
Those increases spurred push back. In Rochester, politicians and advocates lobbied to “pause” the reassessment over the spike in values. Meanwhile, dozens of lawsuits have been filed across the county alleging properties were unfairly reassessed.
Being open with the public is a critical part of the process, Komor said, noting those issues in other communities, and the unique situation of Webster performing an assessment after two decades.
“We want to provide support for the community,” Komor said. “And be able to have that time to answer the questions that we know they’re going to have. It’s a very novel experience, especially for Webster residents. We are aware that there are homeowners here who have never seen a revaluation.”
The Webster town assessment is expected to be completed in 2027, with preliminary numbers released in February or March of that year. The town began the process by holding a question-and-answer session Tuesday at the Webster Town Library. The town plans to hold regular educational events to address concerns about the process.
The next educational session, a workshop focused on how people—particularly seniors and veterans— can receive tax exemptions, is scheduled for Sept. 25.
