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Selectmen authorize Vision contract for 2027 revaluation and approve $226,764 state education appropriation to schools
Summary
The Board of Selectmen authorized the First Selectman to sign a contract with Vision Appraisal for a full 2027 property revaluation using data-mailer methods and voted to appropriate $226,764 in supplemental state education funding to the Board of Education; the board also approved a temporary clerical MOA and a small tax refund and later authorized a settlement on a tax appeal after executive session.
The Board of Selectmen voted to contract with Vision Appraisal and Government Solutions to conduct the town’s full 2027 revaluation of real property and approved an added appropriation of $226,764 in supplemental state education funding for the Board of Education.
A town official who presented the revaluation proposals said she solicited 14 requests for proposals and received two substantive bids: Vision Appraisal (which performed the 2022 revaluation) and Municipal Valuation Services (which performed the 2023 work). She recommended the use of data mailers — letters to property owners documenting the town’s recorded property characteristics — in lieu of full door-to-door inspections for every parcel, saying data mailers are the approach "being used in most towns." "I would recommend the use of data mailers," the assessor said, adding that data mailers combined with targeted inspections of sales and permit-related properties would satisfy statutory requirements.
A selectman moved to "authorize the First Selectman to sign a contract with Vision and Government Solutions for the 2027 reval of real property," and the motion was seconded and approved by the board.
On finance matters, a staff member explained that the recently enacted state supplemental education appropriation for East Windsor totaled approximately $226,764 and that the legislature’s intent was to direct the dollars to education. The presenter noted the State Department of Education advised the funds be passed directly to schools for educational purposes, while OPM offered different guidance on municipal discretion; the town attorney’s prior opinions were also referenced. The motion to appropriate the $226,764 to the Board of Education budget was moved, seconded and carried.
The board also approved a memorandum of agreement with the UPSEU clerical union to permit temporary part-time office coverage in the billing department until mid-July while the town completes hiring, and it approved a tax refund totaling $87.49. After a closed executive session that included police leadership and the assessor, the board approved a settlement on a tax appeal for property owned by 54 Wells Road LLC (Skylock Airport) for the 2023 and 2024 grand lists and authorized the First Selectman to sign the court stipulation.
Board members discussed funding availability for the revaluation, noting the town’s Capital Nonrecurring (CNR) fund had money to cover Vision’s proposal and that an additional transfer around July 1 would increase the fund by roughly $53,000–$54,000. The assessor and selectmen also reviewed past valuation swings, noting a 41.2% increase in the 2022 revaluation over 2021 and a 45.84% increase in 2023 over 2022, and that the town is handling about 46 property tax appeals from the Municipal Valuation Services cycle.
Next steps: the First Selectman is authorized to sign the Vision contract and staff will proceed with the revaluation under the selected vendor. The appropriation of supplemental education funds will be credited to the Board of Education budget as directed by the board vote.
