ATTENTION
THE NEXT BOARD OF ASSESSORS MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY 6, 2012 AT 4:00PM
IT WILL BE HELD IN CONFERENCE ROOM #2, 2ND FLOOR AT TOWN HALL
Please be advised, all Sturbridge Board of Assessor public meeting minutes are available by contacting the assessor's office at
(508)347-2503
Parcel Identification Numbers & How They Work...
Example: 415-02914-308
The first three numbers 415 refer to the street. All the streets in the town of Sturbridge have been numbered, in this example 415 is the number that was assigned to Main Street.
The second three numbers 029 refer to the number of the tax map, in this example the parcel is located on map number 29.
Sturbridge has a grid location system located along the outer edges of each map. The seventh number 1 in this example is the vertical position of the parcel where the eighth number 4 is the horizontal position of the parcel.
The last three numbers 308 refer to the parcel number which is also the address or the number the parcel is assigned. In the above example, the parcel is 308 Main Street on Map 29, Parcel 308.
Inspections...
It is the responsibility of the assessors office to perform inspections for building permits, sales that transfered in the prior year, abatment applications and cyclical inspections. Cyclical inspections are performed on a home or business every nine years unless the owner has applied for a building permit, has sold the property or has filed for an abatement. The town of Sturbirdge has hired an independent appraiser to perform cyclical inspections for this office. He will be randomly making his way through the various neighborhoods here in Sturbridge and if any taxpayer has questions or complaints regarding these inspections, they should contact our office at 508-347-2503. The principal assessor (Bill Mitchell) will be performing all sale review inspections, building permit follow up inspections and abatement application inspections. It
is in the best interest of the taxpayer to allow entry for these inspections so the assessors office has the correct information on file to assess your home correctly each year. If the information in our office is incorrect, it can result in an assessment that is incorrect. It is the goal of our office to be fair in evaluating your home or business. These inspections will often take place from March to September each year. Abatement inspections usually take place in November and December due to deadlines set forth in Massachusetts General Laws that are monitored by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. We appreciate your cooperation and kindness in our efforts to provide fair and equitable assessments and any questions or concerns can be directed to our office. It is a pleasure to serve you.
Assessors & Their Responsibilities...
The Board of Assessors is a 3-member board, elected by the town residents for a term of 3 years.
Massachusetts’s law to list and value all real and personal property as of January 1 is the Office of Assessors responsibility. All assessed values in Massachusetts are based on “full and fair cash value”. The assessors are responsible for meeting the certification requirement of the Department of Revenue. To meet these requirements, the Assessors are obligated to revalue all properties yearly, and once every three years undergo a state recertification audit.
The Office of Assessors also administers the following programs:
Real Estate and Personal Property Tax Abatements
Personal Property Forms of List
Supplemental Tax Billing
Real Estate Tax Exemption
Chapter Land
3ABC Exemptions
Tax Deferrals
Motor Vehicle Excise Tax Billing and Abatements
Property/Parcel information
Public Access Terminal
Abutters List
Name/Address Changes
Registry of Deed Information
Property Map Data Updates
Board Members...
Daniel Matte, Chairman
Kevin Arena, Vice Chairman
Carol Childress, Clerk
Assessors Meetings...
1st and 3rd Monday of every month at 5:00 p.m.
The Role of Assessors in Municipal Finance...
In Massachusetts, assessors are either appointed or elected to three-year terms. The assessors’ primary responsibility is to value all real estate and personal property that are subject to taxation. Assessed valuations are based on “full and fair cash value” as of the January 1st preceding each fiscal year.
In order to maintain assessments at or near market value, the assessors regularly compare property valuations with the selling prices of properties that have sold. Assessment-to-sale ratio statistics are analyzed to determine the medial assessment level, as well as, assessment uniformity.
No valuation methodology can accurately predict what a property will sell for. A secondary, and perhaps more important role of the Board of Assessors is to generate equitable assessments. To that end, we continually strive to maintain an accurate property database and refine valuation tables and formulas that yield both equitable and explainable assessments.
Exemptions...
An exemption releases an individual from the requirement to pay all or a part of their property tax obligation. Exemptions are available to those that meet the various requirements in the following categories:
§ Elderly
§ Blind
§ Minor children of police/firefighters killed in the line of duty.
§ Disabled Veteran
§ Widows or Widowers
§ Orphaned Minor Children.
The 2010 qualifications and filing deadlines for exemptions or deferral of property tax can be found by calling the Assessors’ Office.
Fiscal Year 2012 Tax Rate (per thousand)...
Single Tax Rate - $17.63
LAST UPDATED 01/17/2012.
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