G. How will taxpayers know if their assessment is equitable? And what can a taxpayer do if they feel their value is inaccurate?

Sometime in June/July we will be sending a notice of new value to every taxpayer in Town. At that time the letter will indicate how and where you can review your assessment and the assessment of others. The data will be available online and taxpayers will be able to do sales comparison searches. If a taxpayer is concerned with their assessment they should use the online tools to compare their property to the sales properties. Listings of all the assessments will be available on the counter at the Assessors Office but this will be for general assessment comparison purposes and will not provide the detail needed to truly compare. 

The letter will also provide instructions for arranging for an appointment to discuss your assessment with an Assessor. This is a good opportunity to point out any physical data errors you feel may exist or discuss why you feel your assessment is inaccurate. This process is a little unclear at this time given the covid pandemic and the limitations with the number of people allowed in a small space at one time. As such, we may be holding informal hearings by phone. The preliminary notice of value letter you receive will provide you with all of the details for the process when that time arrives. Once values are finalized they will be used to calculate your final tax bill, generally referred to as the December bill.