Residents say reassessment left some Shaftesbury homeowners with thousands in added taxes; board, state rep explain statutory prebates

A large portion of public comment at the Aug. 6 select-board meeting focused on sudden, steep property tax increases following a town reappraisal. Several residents described bills rising by thousands of dollars; one resident said her bill rose about $2,000 and another described increases of several thousand.

House Representative David Durfee (S2) and town officials explained the mechanics: Vermont statute requires that certain statewide prebates use prior-year assessment values and that the combination of a reappraisal, higher school and municipal budgets, and shifts in tax rates can produce uneven effects. "It's in Vermont's statute that they used the previous year's rate," a town official said, and Rep. Durfee added that legislature-level changes to the funding formula are under discussion but would take time to implement.

The board said it would contact the Vermont Department of Taxes, ask whether the grievance window could be reopened and compare notes with nearby Arlington to learn how that town addressed similar issues. The board also proposed creating a local budget committee to provide more public review of municipal spending ahead of next year's votes. No immediate remedy was available for taxpayers who received the recent bills, though officials encouraged residents to follow up with the town assessor's clerk and the state tax department.