Lancaster explains town-wide reassessment; informal review deadline March 31

Town Supervisor Bob Leary and Assessor Eric Finnbar told residents at a March 16 work session that Lancaster completed a town-wide reassessment and moved its equalization rate from 64% to 100%.

"We did do a full town-wide reassessment. We went from 64% to 100%," Assessor Eric Finnbar said, describing the mailed disclosure notices and the resources available to property owners.

The reassessment determines preliminary market values used to allocate existing levies; officials emphasized the values are preliminary, that levies and tax rates are set separately, and that changes in individual tax bills depend on how a property’s new assessed value compares with others in the tax base.

Why it matters: moving to 100% equalization restores the full value of exemptions (STAR, senior and veterans exemptions) that had been reduced when the town’s equalization rate dipped. That reallocation can lower the tax rate overall but still leave some homeowners paying more if their assessed value increased by more than others.

What officials told residents: GAR Associates’ Dave Barnett and Assessor Eric Finnbar said the reassessment followed standard mass-appraisal steps — data and inventory collection, establishing comparable sales within neighborhood codes, and valuation adjustments for condition, size and style. Barnett described statutory timing (March 1 disclosure date) and that the tentative assessment roll is filed May 1.

Key deadlines and process items: officials told residents the informal review deadline is March 31 for the current disclosure notices and that informal-review determinations will be mailed (residents who go through informal review may then appeal to the Board of Assessment Review, typically held around the fourth Tuesday in May). If a homeowner is unhappy after the board, litigation remains an option.

How to challenge a value: residents were shown an online portal (townoflancaster.prozgar.com was referenced in the meeting) and told the town’s assessor’s office will help residents who cannot use the internet; printed sales books and a toll-free hotline were also offered. Officials said site visits are uncommon and undertaken only in unique cases; in most instances residents should submit documentation (photos, sales they believe are more comparable, or evidence of condition such as flooding) with their informal-review packet.

What to expect on bills: the first tax bill to reflect these reassessed values will generally be the school bill in September; town and county bills will follow in January 2027. Officials reiterated that tax levies still must be set by the taxing entities, so the reassessment reallocates the ‘‘pie’’ of taxable value rather than automatically increasing the town levy.

Residents pressed a range of technical questions — how comparables are chosen, neighborhood codes, whether sheds and aboveground pools are assessed (sheds and in-ground pools can be, above-ground pools generally are not), and how exemptions are applied. Officials answered that assessments reflect location, style, square footage and condition, and that exemptions are restored to their full statutory amounts at 100% equalization.

Next step: property owners who disagree with their disclosure notice should file an informal review by March 31 (the town website and assessor’s office have links and printed materials), and should include supporting documentation if they seek adjustments. The tentative roll will be filed May 1 and Board of Assessment Review times will be posted for those seeking further appeals.