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Milton residents seeing red over property reassessments

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MILTON - When Milton announced its 2017 property tax rate earlier this month it looked like town residents were going to get an early Christmas gift.

Just days later, however, it turned out to be coal and rocks in the stocking when it was learned a townwide reassessment had hiked some property assessments by as much as a third, in fact increasing property owners' tax bills by hundreds if not thousands of dollars as the holidays approach.

Milton Selectmen Chair Andrew Rawson, whose property assessment went up by roughly a third, said on Monday he was "appalled" by the assessment increase and will be looking into how this came about and on what basis the reassessments were figured.

"We've worked hard to lower the taxes," Rawson said, adding Selectman Ryan Thibeault felt the same. "I am very displeased, and I need some serious answers."

Rawson said he had a meeting with the assessing company the town contracts with for its assessing needs today and that representatives would also be scheduled to meet with selectmen at their next regularly scheduled meeting.

Hardly spared by the reassessment, Rawson said his property went from being valued at $165,000 on the town rolls to $244,000.

"Hell, no I couldn't get that for it," he said when asked if his property could fetch that on the market.

Rawson said the state's order for reassessment surfaced after the town was made aware that several houses had sold for far more than they were assessed at, singling out one instance when a house sold for $215,000 that was assessed on town rolls at $180,000.

He said subsequent to that the state mandated the reassessment over the summer, adding the state likes you to be around 95-97 percent on assessment to market value, he noted.
However, when the reassessment would hit and the precipitous upward turn it would take wasn't learned till after the tax rate was announced earlier this month, he said.

Rawson urged homeowners who feel their reassessments are unfair to contact the town and file for an abatement. He said he's been inundated with complaints about the new tax bills and said he feels residents' frustration, adding they are similar to his.

"Moving forward, I want people to fill out an abatement form, and there will be a refund if the assessment is changed.

The time is pretty tight however, to avoid paying the higher freight for the first semiannual portion of the tax bill. They already went out and are due Dec. 15.

Renee Porter, who lives on the privately owned portion of Bolan Road, told The Rochester Voice her assessment went from $253,000 last year to $325,000 this year and her annual property tax bill went from $7,193.72 last year to $8,434.96.

"There's one man who lives near me, his house is paid off, he has no mortgage and he thinks he may have to sell. He can't afford it," Porter lamented on Monday.

Asked if she could sell her house for $325,000 she said, "No way, there's no services on this road, they don't even plow."

She said many of her neighbors are furious at the taxes they pay, especially now, given their private road status.

"I'll probably end up selling," she said.

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