§ 1537. Optional county services. 1. (a) An assessing unit and a county shall have the power to enter into, amend, cancel and terminate an agreement for appraisal services, exemption services, assessment services, or assessment review services, in the manner provided by this section. Such an agreement shall be considered an agreement for the provision of a "joint service" for purposes of Article 5-G of the general municipal law, notwithstanding the fact that the county would not have the power to perform such services in the absence of such an agreement.

(b) Any such agreement shall be approved by both the assessing unit and the county, by a majority vote of the voting strength of each governing body.

(c) In the case of an assessing unit, no such agreement shall be submitted to the governing body for approval unless at least forty-five days prior to such submission, the governing body shall have adopted a resolution, subject to a permissive referendum, authorizing the assessing unit to negotiate such an agreement with the county; provided, however, that such prior authorization shall not be required for an agreement to amend, cancel or terminate an existing agreement pursuant to this section.

2. (a) An agreement between an assessing unit and a county for appraisal services shall provide for the county to appraise all real property within such assessing unit for assessment purposes.

(b) The county shall employ appraisers and other technical personnel to make the appraisals of such properties. No person shall be employed by the county and assigned professional appraisal duties which relate to the assessment of real property for purposes of taxation unless such person meets the minimum qualification standards established by the commissioner. Such appraisal personnel shall attend courses of training and education prescribed by the commissioner.

(c) Such appraisals shall be completed no later than the taxable status date of the assessing unit, and shall be submitted by the county director to the assessor in the form and containing such information as shall be prescribed by the commissioner.

(d) Appraisals furnished pursuant to this section shall serve as the basis of the assessment of the property so appraised.

(e) Such an agreement may further provide that in any administrative or judicial proceeding to review an assessment which is based upon a county appraisal, the county shall provide such testimony and other evidence as may be necessary to defend such appraisal.

3. An agreement between an assessing unit and a county for exemption services shall provide for the county to review applications for exemption and determine the eligibility of the applicants for such exemptions. Such agreement may further provide that in any administrative or judicial proceeding to review an assessment in which the denial of an exemption is at issue, the county shall provide such testimony and other evidence as may be necessary to defend its denial of exempt status.

4. An agreement between an assessing unit and a county for assessment services shall provide for a person, other than the county director of real property tax services, to be selected by the assessing unit to perform assessment services in accordance with such agreement. Such person shall be deemed the assessor of the assessing unit and shall be subject to all provisions of law pertaining to assessors. Provided, however, that no such agreement for assessment services may be entered into by an assessing unit which has exercised the option to retain elective assessors pursuant to law.

5. An agreement between an assessing unit and a county for assessment review services shall provide for the members of the board of assessment review of the assessing unit to be appointed by the legislative body of the county upon the recommendation of the county director of the real property tax services. Each member so appointed shall be a resident of the county but need not be a resident of the assessing unit. The board of assessment review as so constituted shall have the authority to receive, review and resolve petitions for assessment review filed in such assessing unit, and for the corrections of errors therein, to the full extent set forth in article five of this chapter.