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Board of Civil Authority reduces assessments in several tax appeals; one application withdrawn
Summary
The Hartford Board of Civil Authority heard multiple tax appeals, voted to lower assessments for four properties (notably a reduction to $53,100 for a Jericho Street property) and recorded another application as withdrawn after failed contact and denied site access.
The Board of Civil Authority met to hear several property tax appeals and voted on assessor recommendations after in-person inspections and site visits. The board approved reductions in four cases, left one assessment unchanged and recorded one application as withdrawn for failure to provide access.
The board accepted the assessor’s recommendation to reduce the assessed value of 38 Hill Ridge Road (the Hanel property) from $411,000 to $355,300 after the assessor reported lowering the condition rating to “fair” following a visit. “I adjusted the condition rating to fair,” the assessor said, explaining the change followed on-site observations of needed cosmetic work and challenging topography.
The board approved a nearly complete reassessment change for 3446 Jericho Street (the Lyman property) after the assessor removed value attached to dilapidated barns and lowered the house condition; the assessor’s recommendation reduced the assessment from $570,800 to $53,100.
For 186 Sugar Hill Lane, unit 3A (Grossman), the assessor reviewed sales comparables and recommended no change; the board voted to leave that unit assessed at $334,300.
A separate appeal for 160 Bennington Lane (Voda and Litty) was left open through the day but, because the owners did not respond to repeated contact attempts and the board could not gain access for a required site inspection, the application was recorded as withdrawn under the applicable site-access statute.
The board also considered an appeal from Kelvin Smith of 984 Valley View Road, a mobile-home lot on a private, steep road. Smith told the board he had invested heavily in road maintenance and said that private-road responsibility, limited buyer pool for a double-wide mobile home, and nearby highway noise reduce marketability. The assessor visited and proposed a reduction to $216,700; after deliberation the board applied a five-percent functional depreciation for the lack of a concrete slab and approved a final assessment of $207,000. On the record the assessor said he had "added 5% functional depreciation for the lack of a concrete slab under the mobile home."
Votes at a glance: - 38 Hill Ridge Road (Hanel): reduced from $411,000 to $355,300 — approved by motion. - 3446 Jericho Street (Lyman): reduced from $570,800 to $53,100 — approved by motion. - 186 Sugar Hill Ln, Unit 3A (Grossman): no change, remains $334,300 — approved by motion. - 160 Bennington Ln (Voda/Litty): application recorded as withdrawn for failure to provide site access. - 984 Valley View Rd (Smith): reduced from $242,700 to $207,000 after assessor revision and board vote.
What happened next: the board recessed for a lunch break to conduct site visits, reconvened, read site-visit reports into the public record, and then moved into deliberations before announcing the motions and votes above. The decisions will be entered into the public record and sent to appellants with instructions about tax-bill adjustments and any available payment or abatement information.
