Property Valuation office: equalized values climbed, statewide CLA near 72%; 152 reappraisal orders planned

Jill Ramit, director of Property Valuation and Review in the Vermont Department of Taxes, told the Ways & Means committee that the office’s annual equalization study shows continued double‑digit growth in statewide equalized education property values and a marked decline in the statewide common level of appraisal (CLA).

“The statewide CLA ... is at about 72.36%,” Ramit said, and she told members the office is planning to send about 152 reappraisal orders based on high coefficients of dispersion (COD) in some towns.

The report, Ramit said, found the statewide equalized education property value rose roughly 14.1% while listed grand‑list values increased about 7.8% for the same period. Ramit described the department’s work as “a huge amount of work that is done by a very small number of people,” noting the office oversees equalization, training for listers and assessors, current‑use enrollment and transfers, and municipal payments tied to the statewide education property tax system.

Why it matters: CLA and COD shape tax rates and whether towns must reappraise. The CLA is a measure of how local listed values compare with market sales; a CLA substantially below 100% indicates listed values are below fair market value. The COD measures within‑town equity: large CODs indicate similar properties are not being assessed consistently.

Jake Feldman, a PVR staff member who explained COD to the…