Small Claims Assessment Review Petition e-Filing Program

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2009

Due to the downturn of the housing market, the Suffolk County Clerk’s Office was faced with the challenge of processing an unprecedented number of Small Claims Assessment Review Petitions from residents who wanted their property assessments reviewed. Because New York State law allows property owners to petition the court for review of their property appraisal before a specially trained state hearing officer, the county was being challenged to sort through the burdensome amounts of paperwork in order to meet these residents’ demands. In order to cope with this dramatic increase in petitions, the county created an e-Filing program in which all residents could complete the petition in a write-able online format and simply serve it upon the Suffolk County Clerk’s Office electronically. Not only did this system decrease the hassle that the county’s previous system placed on the petitioner, but it also enabled the County Clerk’s Office to meet the increased demand of petitioning without the need for the escalation of overtime, saving the county significant personnel.