Towns conducting reassessments for buildings and homes

Town assessors checking houses
Published: Jun. 28, 2022 at 6:10 PM EDT

(WFSB) - For some towns it’s that time of year for buildings and homes to have their reassessments conducted by their town’s tax assessors.

Eyewitness News talked with a local tax assessor to understand all that goes into this process and what you need to know to effectively and safely prepare for your evaluation.

“It actually makes me nervous because my wife and I both retired and I am disabled so we are on a fixed income,” said Wayne Gates of Rockville.

Gates has lived in his home for seven years and says he is always monitoring his taxes.

“You know rising property values sounds like a good thing but only if you are going to sell or downsize we are not going to sell to buy something else that is expensive,” said Gates.

Each town in Connecticut is on a different schedule for when they do tax reassessments on properties, but the process is similar.

“We start a year early and we go out and we inspect all the properties that we collect data whether its income data or sales and then we tabulate that,” said David Wheeler, Vernon Town Assessor. “Then put it in the computer on what the value will be.”

Wheeler said it’s completely normal for homeowners to be concerned if they see people walking around their property.

“First thing you do is to see what kind of car are they driving does it have a decal or some kind of identification like the town of, and if they don’t which may be the case,” said Wheeler.

Homeowners do have a right to participate or reschedule.

“And if you do find them on your property number one you have the opportunity to say I don’t want you on my property and you don’t have to let me come in the house,” Wheeler said.

“If before they did anything else if they just would come up to the door and announce themselves with an ID badge because you just never know,” Gates said.

Wheeler said if you are curious to find out when your town is conducting their assessments you can find that information on their local town website.

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