Property owners in parts of Seneca and Schuyler counties are dealing with incorrect or delayed school tax bills after problems with New York state’s Real Property System Online software produced calculation errors and, in several districts, prevented bills from being issued altogether.
County officials said the problems are tied to the state-run software system, not work performed by local school or county officials. The issues currently affect school tax bills only and have not been identified in county, town or village property tax bills.
In Seneca County, school districts where bills may contain errors include Seneca Falls, Waterloo and Romulus. Districts where school tax bills have not yet been issued include South Seneca, Geneva and Lyons.
In Schuyler County, school districts where bills may contain errors include Bradford, Dundee, Hammondsport, Horseheads, Odessa-Montour, Spencer-Van Etten and Watkins Glen. Bills have not been issued for Corning-Painted Post, Trumansburg and South Seneca.
County officials said the software has produced incorrect calculations involving agricultural exemptions and, in at least one district, veterans’ exemptions. Equalization rates have also been applied incorrectly on tax rolls generated through the system.
Counties press state for public response
Schuyler County Administrator Shawn Rosno said state officials have reportedly contacted each affected school district by phone.
New York is the exclusive provider of the real property tax software used by municipalities, Rosno said, leaving counties without a private or third-party alternative. Counties use the state system to prepare billing documents on behalf of school districts.
“We are attempting to work with New York State to correct the issue as quickly as possible and will provide an update once it has been resolved,” Rosno said. “We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience while we work to get this corrected.”
Local officials have also been pressing the Department of Taxation and Finance to publicly explain the problems and provide a more immediate solution for taxpayers.
Jessica Ryan Austic, director of the Schuyler County Real Property Tax Department, said officials have repeatedly asked the state to issue a public statement since the errors were discovered.
“We have demanded immediate relief for our residents,” Austic said.
State has suggested correcting some errors next year
State officials have told local representatives that the errors on individual school district tax rolls range from roughly $50 to $6,000 across an entire roll, according to county officials.
One approach suggested by the state would leave already-issued bills unchanged this year and address any underpayments through omitted taxes on future bills.
County officials are questioning whether that approach adequately protects taxpayers.
Austic said state officials have indicated that taxpayers who pay their current bills would receive corrections on subsequent bills, with correction forms sent to affected schools and property owners.
“We believe some schools may need to adjust collection dates,” she said.
The extent to which collection deadlines could change was not immediately clear and may depend on the individual school district and the status of its tax roll.
Corrections still being developed
Tina Lotz, Seneca County clerk and acting Real Property Tax director, said county officials and assessors have been working with the state to resolve the problems.
“They are attempting to fix things but have not yet done so in a satisfactory manner,” Lotz said. “We will have to prepare corrections and work with local school officials to ensure that corrections are made.”
The errors come during the early rollout of RPSO, the state’s replacement for its older real property tax software.
Seneca, Schuyler and Hamilton counties were among the early adopters. Hamilton County began using the system in October 2025, while Seneca and Schuyler counties went live in March.
The previous state software system is no longer supported and is considered outdated, meaning the affected counties cannot simply revert to it.
In a recent update to municipalities, the state said it is prioritizing support for the three counties already using RPSO and conducting additional intensive testing before expanding the software to more localities.
For now, taxpayers with questions about whether their school tax bill is affected are being encouraged to contact their county real property tax services office or their school district’s business office.
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