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Municipal officials and assessors warn H.454—s regional reappraisal plan risks underfunding, staffing shortfalls and transition confusion
Summary
Multiple municipal and assessor groups told the Finance Committee that H.454—s plan to move to regional assessment districts needs more stakeholder work, clearer funding responsibilities and a phased timeline to avoid service gaps and large appeal volumes.
Samantha Sheehan, municipal policy and advocacy specialist for the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, told the Finance Committee that VLCT is not taking a single position on regional reappraisal but raised operational concerns about moving from town-by-town reappraisals to regional districts.
Sheehan said municipalities vary widely in capacity and urged that a stakeholder working group identified in the bill be convened immediately to define who contracts for reappraisals, who hears appeals and how to assign costs. "We support local control for municipal listers and advocate for adequate resources, a reasonable timeline for grievances and strong local input," Sheehan said.
Mimi Burstein, membership and education coordinator for the Vermont Assessors and Listers Association, said the Department of Taxes' Property Valuation and Review (PVR) division is understaffed for large-scale transformation and that implementation costs were not clearly assigned to state or municipal budgets. Burstein warned of possible backlogs, a shortage of qualified appraisers and higher costs from increased demand for reappraisals.
Ed ("Bob") Belcher, senior at the New England Municipal Resource Center (NEMRC), provided contractor-level detail, saying his organization currently has projects lined up through 2030 and detailing staffing requirements and costs. For a 20,000-parcel reassessment district, Belcher estimated a staffing need of roughly 14 data-collection and administrative staff and a base staffing cost in the range of $875,000, exclusive of benefits, travel and overhead. He said many Vermont reappraisals are geographically diverse and that state-wide districting may force out small local firms and raise travel and coordination costs.
Witnesses flagged appeals as a critical implementation stress point. Several speakers said first-round appeal rates after a mass reappraisal can be higher than 1—23% and recommended planning for 5% or more. That volume, they said, would require significant staffing for boards of civil authority and potential changes to appeal timelines.
Common recommendations included: convening the stakeholder working group immediately and ensuring it includes municipal listers, assessors, PVR staff and legislators; phasing in districts gradually so pending municipal contracts are not disrupted; increasing or adjusting state reimbursement for per-parcel costs (or adding a small-town minimum) to avoid shifting heavy costs to municipalities; and clarifying appeal procedures and timelines to protect due process while avoiding unmanageable first-round appeal volumes.
Witnesses said the bill contains useful elements, including the move to a 6-year reappraisal cycle, but that many implementation details remain unresolved. The committee did not take action at the hearing; members indicated the topic will continue in follow-up sessions.
