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Harpswell revaluation shows median assessed-value rise of 49%; hearings and online data coming next week
Summary
Town officials and vendor Vision told residents the townwide revaluation used 225 valid local sales, produced a median assessed-value increase of about 49%, and will be followed by mailed notices and a short window of informal hearings and appeals.
Steve Wheelan, project manager for Vision, presented the townwide revaluation process and key findings, saying the firm reviewed local sales, conducted field visits and used cost, sales-comparison and income approaches to set new values.
Wheelan said Vision identified "225 valid sales" inside the town and used those transactions as the sales-comparison sample; related-party or otherwise invalid sales were excluded. He told residents the company visited properties, checked measurements and recorded exterior and interior features that affect value.
Town administrator Kristi Aon told residents the new assessed values will be mailed and that the mailings and an online posting will include an 800 number and PIN for scheduling an informal hearing. Aon said the hearings provide a chance to review property record cards and, if needed, appeal to the assessor's office.
Vision reported a median increase of 49% across the town and similar median increases for residential and commercial classes. Wheelan said the company targets a high match to market sales (he described a 99% sales match goal) and breaks analysis out by style, location and lot size to account for variability.
Officials gave several additional data points: the presenter said the town has roughly 5,100 parcels and that about 707 were categorized as vacant land; Vision reported an overall entry (response) rate to field contacts around 39.3%.
On the effect of FEMA flood maps and shoreline elevation, Aon and Vision staff said assessed value is driven by market sales within neighborhoods. Aon noted FEMA map updates affect permitting and rebuilding constraints but that any flood-related effect on value will primarily be reflected to the extent it appears in comparable sales.
The town urged residents to check the Vision-linked website as soon as it is posted (officials said new valuations and sales tools would be available online the following Wednesday) and to call the number on the mailed notice to set an appointment; the informal-hearing window will be limited and the mailings will include scheduling information.
The town described the mill-rate picture as preliminary and said hearings and subsequent adjustments will influence final tax calculations for 2026.
