Harvey Benn is living out his retirement at his home on Walnut Grove along the shore of Oneida Lake in the Madison County town of Sullivan. Benn says property taxes are 10 times higher than when he he took over the place in the 60's. Now he and his neighbors fully realize "Some people can afford it...some can't. I've been retired for 20 years; it's going to be tough for me." Benn told CNY Central's Jim Kenyon.

Sullivan town officials are hosting a meeting Monday evening at Chittenango High School to provide information about the town-wide reassessment.

To comply with a state mandate, the Town of Sullivan is in the midst of re-assessing all 7,200 parcels in the town. Assessor Karen Tavernese says the town will move to full value assessments. In other words a home will be assessed and taxed according to what it's worth in today's real estate market. People with lakefront property are afraid their taxes will skyrocket, but Tavernese says that's not necessarily true. "Once everybody's assessments are where they should be, then the tax rate should come down. So it doesn't necessarily mean you're going to pay more for taxes because your assessed value will go up." Tavernese explains.

Many people who live along the lakefront have a general distrust over the way the town is going to handle the reassessment. Brenda Rech feels the re-assessment is an attempt by the town to circumvent the statewide 2 percent cap on property taxes. Tavernese denies the re-assessment is a way to exceed the 2 percent cap.. She says the town is following a state mandate. The new assessments are expected to be completed and mailed out in February

Bill Ball remains skeptical. "It's a dictatorship as far as I'm concerned."