Rindge is moving forward with steps to set the tax rate, which includes accepting the summary valuation of the town, despite a contentious process with the assessing firm, Avitar Associates.
On Oct. 22, the Select Board addressed concerns members had received from residents after preliminary assessments from Avitar, which showed an overall increase in the town’s valuation of 97%, with many residents seeing their home values double or triple.
Avitar has since submitted its final evaluation report, after adjustments made based on reviews after the preliminary assessments. The final assessment decreased by about $70 million, and was an overall 89% increase from the town’s previous year’s valuation.
On Wednesday, the Select Board held its regularly scheduled meeting in the town’s recreation department. A much smaller crowd than the one that attended the standing-room-only meeting on Oct. 22, but some residents said they had concerns.
Simon Mosely, a resident of Pool Pond, said the average homeowner on the pond had seen their value go up by 2.5 times. He said that was not based on all recent sales on the lake, but appeared to have been based on a single sale.
“The selectmen have stated that if your house value doubles and the tax rate is cut in half, then you pay the same as last year. That is a true statement. Except for everyone who lives on the lake in town,” Mosely said. “It’s very clear that the lakes are clearly disproportionately carrying more of the tax burden for the town. This isn’t fair, it’s not right.”
Richard Swanson, a resident of Florence Avenue, said he was “shocked” by his appraisal.
“It’s probably 50% higher than what we could ever sell our house for, based on what we’ve seen in the market,” Swanson said. “I’m 69 years old, my wife is 67 years old, and we’re shocked to think that we might not be able to afford to live in the house that we worked for 30 years to pay for. We’re transitioning to retirement and we can’t count on our wages rising with these really out-of-control assessments on our house.”
Select Board Chair Bob Hamilton said the town has had two meetings that included representatives of the Department of Revenue Administration and Avitar since the Oct. 22 meeting. During that meeting, the board voted to ask the state Department of Revenue Administration to use the town’s previous valuation to move forward until either a new assessment could be done, or they were satisfied with Avitar’s final numbers. The board also requested that the public make appeals to the DRA with a similar request.
“They did, thank you all. Because they did receive calls, they did receive emails. Believe me, they told me,” Hamilton said.
The DRA informed the town that because state law requires a revaluation be done every five years, Rindge must move forward with the current assessment from Avitar, Hamilton explained.
Hamilton said some of the adjustments the town was seeking have been taken into account in the updated figures, including reducing the square footage value on mobile homes, adjusting the base rate for waterfront properties, and for certain neighborhoods.
Hamilton said the Select Board has signed an MS1 summary of Avitar’s assessment, which has been submitted to the DRA, one of the initial steps in setting the town’s tax rate.
“By signing the MS1, selectmen did not necessarily agree with all of the assessments,” Hamilton said. “I know that two of the selectmen totally disagree with their assessment. So, I know that they did not agree with all of the assessments, right? But they did agree to sign the summary to begin the tax billing process and, therefore, the abatement process.”
Hamilton said that abatement requests can be submitted after residents receive their tax bills, and will be addressed in the order in which they’re received. They will be reviewed by Avitar, who will make a recommendation. The Select Board will have the final say on whether the abatement is approved.
Roberta Oeser, the former interim town administrator, said impacts of the revaluation will be an ongoing issue.
“This whole thing is a disaster for the town. It’s going to go on for years,” Oeser said. “I already heard about somebody that’s going to have to sell their house because there’s no way they can afford the increase.”
“I do commiserate,” said Hamilton. “I pay taxes in this town myself. Used to be a lot cheaper to live here.”
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.