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City officials explain assessing process as residents report large, uneven valuation changes
Summary
At a Jan. 27 Boston City Council joint hearing, the city's assessing commissioner outlined how the city sets market values and why neighbors can receive very different assessment changes; residents and labor groups urged more relief as third-quarter tax bills arrived.
Boston assessing officials gave a step-by-step description of how the city values property at a joint hearing of the City Council's Ways and Means and Government Operations committees on Jan. 27, 2025, as dozens of residents and labor leaders testified about large tax-bill increases.
Commissioner of Assessing Nick Aronello told the council the city must value every parcel at 100 percent market value as of the statutory valuation date (Jan. 1, 2024 for fiscal 2025) and uses a computer-assisted mass appraisal (CAMA) system that models prices across the city by matching sales to property characteristics. "We use market sales, property record cards and modeling to estimate values for every parcel," Aronello said. He added the city calculates assessment-to-sale ratios and other statistical checks required by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR). Commissioner Aronello and…
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