Assessor outlines PA490 basics, criticizes survey rollout and urges clearer outreach

At the Feb. 24 meeting the town assessor, Stuart, gave a detailed presentation on Public Act 490 (PA490), explaining the statute’s purpose, classification categories and the town’s options for responding to state farmland valuations.

Stuart said PA490’s intent is to preserve farmland, forest land and open space by valuing land based on use rather than highest and best use: "the purpose and intent of PA490 is to preserve preserve farmland, forest land, open space," and he walked through farmland class types (tillable A–D) and forest‑land certification requirements.

Committee members pressed Stuart on how the law applies in Rocky Hill, where much land is rocky or subject to flooding; he said much of the town’s acreage is appropriately classified as tillable C or D and that assessors generally accept a farmer’s statement about the land’s use unless evidence suggests otherwise.

Discussion focused heavily on the state survey process. Committee members said the survey was distributed on a postcard with a QR code and generated confusion among older farmers; Stuart echoed the outreach problems and noted the immediate policy impact: the governor revoked the updated 2025 values and "went back to the 2020 values." One committee member characterized the initial data as "skewed." Stuart and others urged that future surveys use multiple delivery methods and better town‑level coordination.

Stuart reviewed application logistics and exemptions: the M39 farmland application must generally be filed Sept. 1–Oct. 31 (extended to Dec. 30 in a revaluation year); there is no minimum income threshold for classification itself, but equipment and building exemptions require $15,000 in gross sales or $15,000 in farm‑related expenses to qualify for certain local exemptions. He described the town's current local options (machinery exemption up to $250,000 and farm buildings up to $100,000, for combined exemption eligibility of $450,000) and discussed the practical effect of raising those limits.

On valuation procedure, Stuart said a town may reject the state's recommended values but then must conduct its own study to justify alternative values; he encouraged early farmer engagement and recommended assessors mail surveys on behalf of the state to improve response rates.

Stuart closed by noting town counts (as presented): farmland 173, forest land 3, open space 17, and invited the committee to provide input to the statewide PA490 task force on improving survey methodology and outreach.

Next steps: subcommittee members asked staff to coordinate with the assessor on distributing PA490 materials locally and to consider whether the town should pursue local ordinance changes on machinery/building exemption thresholds.