Committee reviews updated draft to create statewide property reappraisal system

The Ways & Means Committee on March 13 reviewed a revised draft committee bill that would create a statewide property reappraisal system, establish 12 regional assessment districts and direct the Department of Taxes—s Property Valuation and Review (PVR) to assign district advisers and set standards for reappraisals.

The draft, walked through by Kirby Heaton, legislative counsel, updates language in response to written and oral feedback and adds a findings section that cites a final report on statewide reappraisals published Dec. 16, 2024 pursuant to Act 68. The draft sets a six-year reappraisal cycle, moves the grand list date to Jan. 1, and directs PVR to establish uniform contracting, data and technology standards for regional districts.

Why it matters: The bill would shift many reappraisal responsibilities from individual municipalities to a coordinated regional structure, change how appeals are processed and alter funding flows for towns. Committee members and PVR officials said the changes aim to address a shortage of firms and local capacity while trying to ensure consistent, defensible valuations statewide.

Key provisions and discussion

Kirby Heaton said the draft adds a findings section summarizing the department—s report, including a lack of available firms for reappraisal work and other capacity issues. The draft notes that "as of 12/16/2024, 35 municipalities were actively under an order to reappraise their grand lists," that "60 municipalities have their last reappraisal more than 15 years ago," and that the statewide average year of last…