Coleen Pahura appointed county’s real property director

Photo by Tom Rivers: Coleen Pahura is shown outside her office this morning at 3 South Main St. in Albion, the lower level of the County Clerks’ Building. She was appointed on Tuesday by the County Legislature to be the county’s real property director, overseeing the Real Property Tax Services Department.

ALBION – Coleen Pahura has worked 25 years for the Real Property Tax Services Department, starting as a clerk and then as an assessor.

She now is the department’s director following an appointment on Tuesday by the Orleans County Legislature. She succeeds Dawn Allen, who retired after 19 years in the position.

Pahura admits she didn’t grow up aspiring to be an assessor or work in the Real Property Tax Services Department. In fact, she doubts that is a career goal for anyone before entering the workplace.

She had worked seven years in the City of Rochester in accounting when she took the Civil Service Exam 25 years ago. She wanted a job closer to home in Albion.

Pahura worked six years as a senior clerk in Real Property. Bob Harrold was the director at the time. When Dawn Allen took over 19 years ago, she left a job as assessor for the towns of Albion and Gaines.

Those two towns contracted with the county for assessing services, and Pahura took on tat job while working with the Real Property Tax Services Department.

She is ready for a new challenge after being an assessor for nearly two decades. Alexis Penna-Swan will be taking over Pahura’s previous job as assessor for Albion and Gaines. (Dawn Allen, while retired, is going to continue to work part-time as the Barre town assessor.)

The Real Property Tax Services Department maintains the tax maps in the county and has over 20,000 tax bills printed each year.

The office also prints out assessment and tax rolls, assists assessors, trains members of the Board of Assessment Review, and also assists in the enforcement of unpaid taxes.

Pahura’s appointment is for six years through Sept. 30, 2032.