Taunton Board of Assessors: State certifies FY25 values; land valuations to be reexamined

The Massachusetts Department of Revenue has certified the City of Taunton’s fiscal 2025 property values and approved new tax rates, the Taunton Board of Assessors said at its Dec. 19 meeting. Officials also said the state directed the city to reexamine land values, a move the board said is likely to increase land assessments.

Why it matters: The certified tax rates set the base for bills customers will receive and the state-directed land revaluation could raise assessments on both residential and commercial parcels, prompting more abatement filings and staff inspections.

The board reported the FY25 residential tax rate is $10.94 per $1,000 of assessed value and the commercial rate is $23.78 per $1,000. Officials said FY25 bills were committed to the collector for mailing on Dec. 31; the fourth-quarter payment is due May 1. The board set Feb. 3, 2025, as the deadline to submit abatement applications for fiscal 2025.

"Your taxes are going up this year," Chairman Richard Conte said, urging residents to consider filing abatement applications because they force staff review and, if needed, an on-site verification of property conditions. Conte provided the office’s contact information for taxpayers with questions.

Conte described the state process: Taunton undergoes a full Department of Revenue revaluation every five years, with interim reviews between those cycles. He said one specific directive from the DOR is that the city must revisit land valuations for both residential and commercial parcels next year and that the department will review and approve the updated valuation methodology and results.

The board also discussed operational steps tied to the revaluation and ongoing administration: Appellate Tax Board caseloads, mailings of business forms, planned software upgrades and efforts to put assessing forms online. Conte said the city currently has 35 open Appellate Tax Board cases covering roughly 20 taxpayers and that several cases have been withdrawn since the last meeting.

Assessor Lisa Labelle outlined upcoming mailings: form-of-list notices to commercial properties (to be mailed in January and due back in 60 days), 3-ABC forms for charities/nonprofits (mailed in January, due in 30 days), and income-and-expense forms for commercial and rental properties (to be mailed in March, due in 60 days).

On technology, Conte said he had spoken with Vision Government Systems to add geospatial (GIS) functionality to the city’s property-record (CAMA) software so staff can view parcel locations alongside property record cards; he said the upgrade should save staff time and expected it to be complete by the following Monday. He also said the department is working to move assessing forms online but that integration with the city’s recently purchased Permodize system requires additional IT work; he estimated online availability could take six to nine months and said the department hopes to announce progress by February.

The board reiterated inspection and verification practices: residential properties are reviewed within five years and commercial properties within three years under state guidance, and staff will perform sales verification for recent transactions, contacting buyers or sellers when needed to confirm sale details.

The meeting concluded after a motion to adjourn carried unanimously. The board said it will meet with a full membership at its next session and provide a more detailed Appellate Tax Board case report.

Attribution: Direct quotes and characterizations in this article come from remarks by Chairman Richard Conte and comments by Assessor Lisa Labelle during the Dec. 19 Taunton Board of Assessors meeting.