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Residents push back at town meeting after revaluation presentation shows large assessment increases
Summary
At a town council meeting, Catalyst Tax representatives outlined a statistical revaluation based on a two-year sales study; many residents criticized large assessment increases, inconsistent comps, and customer-service gaps and were advised to pursue informal hearings and appeals.
Catalyst Tax representatives presented Gloucester's statistical revaluation at the March 1 town council meeting, describing a two-year sales study (2024'25), model calibration using a CAMMA database, and statistical checks by property style and neighborhood. The consultant said the town's single-family median value is roughly $486,900 and that residential values rose about 25 percent overall, with single-family parcels up around 24 percent.
The presentation drew a lengthy public response. Multiple residents told councilors the increases were inconsistent and unaffordable, with several citing individual assessment jumps in the 30'40 percent range and describing economic hardship. One resident said his assessment rose by $222,000 and called the result "ridiculous," while others questioned why sales-based models would reflect COVID-era market anomalies and how the firm weighted sales versus non-sales.
Catalyst representatives described their methodology: inspecting sale properties, encoding characteristics (square footage, style, land value) into a computer-assisted mass appraisal (CAMMA) system, calibrating models to fit sales, and then applying tables and schedules to non-sale properties. The consultant emphasized checks such as coefficient of dispersion (COD) and neighborhood-level analyses; he said the COD for certain strata here was within typical ranges and that the firm follows professional standards from the International Association of Assessing Officers.
Residents raised several recurring concerns: the perceived unfairness of assigning higher values to long-standing, unimproved homes; the limited availability or reliability of field reviews and informal hearings; inconsistent comparables ("comps") shown on public property record cards; and customer-service shortfalls when taxpayers sought in-person appointments. Catalyst encouraged affected homeowners to use the informal hearing process and noted that the firm will support the assessing department with appeals and training for two years.
Council members acknowledged the community'wide anxiety and discussed possible local responses including examining exemptions (homestead or senior exemptions), asking the assessor to verify property record cards and conditions, and ensuring adequate staffing and appointment availability for informal hearings. Several councilors urged residents to bring documentary evidence (condition, historic issues, septic/perk problems) to appeals.
No changes to values were made at the meeting; Catalyst said the process locks the valuation tables for three years and that appeals to the town remain available annually. The council did not adopt any townwide exemptions at the meeting but asked staff to examine the senior-exemption options and report back on fiscal impact and state-law requirements.
