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By FAITH DeAMBROSE More than 105 property owners made appointments to meet with representatives from RJD Appraisal to discuss their bills during hearings scheduled for August 11-14. After hearings are conducted, the appraisal company will meet with the board of selectmen to discuss their findings. Adjustments to property values, if any, will be made at that time and official tax bills will then be mailed to residents. One difference between this year and years past is the fact the town underwent a complete revaluation and the new valuations are reflected in the assessments sent to residents. The new valuations are also more reflective of actual market prices, which rose sharply throughout the last decade. Municipalities are required to stay within 70 percent of the state’s valuation; as valuations drop below that, sanctions or reductions in the local share of tax revenue at both a state and county level can be imposed, explained selectmen Jim Schatz and Duane Gray in a recent interview. These could include reductions in support for education and homestead exemption reimbursements. Blue Hill conducted its last town-wide revaluation approximately eight years ago. As the housing market continues to see gains in the value of home sales along the coast, and in Hancock County especially, town valuations and those of the state—which are determined primarily by the sale price of a home in a particular area—creep further and further apart, causing the need for a complete revaluation. Gray explained that since there is a finite amount of waterfront properties, demand for them outstrips supply, increasing their value. This holds especially true for residents on the Salt Pond who saw an average increase of anywhere between 200 and 400 percent. Resident Win Turner who owns property on the west end of the Salt Pond has compiled a list of more than 80 properties across Blue Hill showing that his 528 percent increase in land value was far above the norm. Turner presented his findings to the board of selectmen on Friday, July 31, stating that his taxes had risen from $3,000 to $7,200 a year, while residents on other bodies of water, such as Toddy Pond, saw an average increase in their land valuations of only 56 percent. Turner asked the board if special instructions had been given to the assessing agents and the board replied that no special instructions were given for any property or area of town. In a recent interview, Schatz explained that although the selectmen are in fact the town’s assessors, the town hires an independent agent to ensure properties are reviewed objectively and by individuals who have no knowledge of homeowners or the politics that may be in play in the town. “We have an arm-length relationship with the professional assessors we hire, to get away from arbitrary assessments, and if we find that we are not getting that or that the process is not producing a fair outcome we may have to look at the people we do business with,” said Schatz. Schatz said he acknowledges the problems that increased valuations and property taxes play for families and their budgets and while he does not directly function as an assessor for the town because of his legislative status, he has fought steadily on behalf of his constituents in other area towns such as Brooksville and Surry who have been through this in recent years. He added that he is considering legislation that would somehow cap or control increases “so as not to move people out of their homes because the taxation is so great.” An increase in property valuation, however, does not necessarily mean an increase in taxes, according to Schatz, who explained that the revaluation will drop the town’s mill rate by approximately half and properties assessed with an increase of up to 100 percent are likely to see their property tax remain flat. Property owners with waterfront parcels will be those most affected by the revaluation, Schatz continued. Return to the The Weekly Packet home page. |
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