Committee reviews reappraisal bill draft that shifts mass appraisals to PVR, creates regional appeals boards

Kirby, legislative counsel, presented a new draft bill to the House Ways & Means Committee that would rework the statewide property assessment system and the appeals process.

Kirby said the draft keeps regional assessment districts but transfers responsibility for mass ("master") appraisals to the Property Valuation and Review (PVR) agency. The new structure creates district advisors (state employees assigned to each regional assessment district) who would contract for master appraisals, ensure consistent grand‑list maintenance and parcel classification across jurisdictions, and provide training and technical support to municipal listers.

The nut graf: the draft aims to standardize valuation practice statewide by centralizing mass reappraisal contracting and by regionalizing appeals through newly formed regional boards of civil authority; those structural changes would shift some operational authority from municipal listers and local boards of civil authority to PVR and the regional panels and could…