BRUNSWICK

The Brunswick Town Council was recently briefed on the effort to reassess properties in town for tax purposes. An ordinance authorizing the funding and completion of the reappraisal and revaluation of all taxable and all tax-exempt property in Brunswick was passed in late September 2015.

The decision came following a presentation by assessor Cathleen Jamison, noting that, according to state law, Brunswick is five years behind in conducting a new assessment and citing that the reassessment process simply brings “fairness” back into the process of lagging assessment accuracy.

The project will begin this spring and will probably take two years to complete and will involve an assessment of the interior and exterior of each property in town. Since some of the process may seem a bit invasive to homeowners, the town intends to conduct some public relations work ahead of time.

When revaluations are complete around July 2017, notices will be sent to property owners, allowing them to review their new value and allowing them time to talk to assessors regarding the new figures. Jamison said that process will be considered an informal hearing where homeowners can attempt to resolve any issues.

Following the informal hearing phase, the new tax value will be entered and the process is due to be wrapped up in September 2017.

Councilor Jane Millett cautioned that going into the process, property owners should make sure all the information gathered in the assessment process is correct and that in such a large task as revaluing a town, there is the potential for human error.

Councilor Suzan Wilson said that adequate advanced notice will help the project proceed more smoothly. Wilson said people in her district are a little wary of folks “creeping around” their property.

Whether a property will receive a higher or a lower bill is rough to say, according to Jamison. Shore properties tend to go up in value, but Jamison said it depends on the town budget, type of property, location, depreciation and improvements.

“Not everybody’s taxes will go up. Some will go up, some will go down and some will stay the same. What that percentage is, I don’t know,” Jamison said.

Time frame

• THE PROJECT will begin this spring and will probably take two years to complete and will involve an assessment of the interior and exterior of each property in town.

When revaluations are complete around July 2017, notices will be sent to property owners, allowing them to review their new value and allowing them time to talk to assessors regarding the new figures.

dmcintire@timesrecord.com