BRUNSWICK

The town council passed an ordinance authorizing the funding and completion of the reappraisal and revaluation of all taxable and all tax exempt property in Brunswick on Monday night.

The vote came after some discussion and following a presentation by assessor Cathleen Jamison, noting that, according to state law, Brunswick is five years behind in conducting a new assessment and citing that the reassessment process simply brings “fairness” back into the process of lagging assessment accuracy.

The final vote passed with all councilors voting for the ordinance except Councilor John Perreault.

Jamison said part of the reason for the reassessment, which will be put out to bid and not to exceed $400,000 for the project, is to realign areas that have experienced increased or decreased growth as well as assess projects that may have been done without a permit.

“By doing this, we will bring Brunswick in compliance with the state,” Jamison said.

According to Jamison, taxes would ideally only go up for those who have built unaccounted for additions or renovations on their property just as they may go down for some who have deferred maintenance on their property.

Sarah Ward came forward and voiced her approval of the project, stating she is currently paying more than others in her neighborhood because she seeks permits when making improvements.

“Nobody walking down my street would guess that my house gets the very highest taxes on my street,” Ward said.

When the ordinance came to a vote, Chairwoman Sarah Brayman and Perreault voiced their opposition, wanting instead to wait until there has been more public deliberation on a matter that would undoubtedly change taxes for many residents.

“I also would like to see the town just do some outreach around this and be clear about what’s happening and why it’s happening,” Brayman said.

Perreault said that while he was in favor of property reassessment, he wanted to see more public involvement. Perreault said that although the reassessment program had been brought up a few times, it did not have much official discussion by the council.

“Everyone here knows what the CIP (Capital Improvement Program) is,” Perreault said, adding that it’s a “bucket you kick around the room until it comes up on the agenda.

“There is going to be a group of people out there that are going to be (angry) at this town … at this council for doing this,” Perreault said.

Councilor John Richardson said he didn’t think waiting another two weeks was going to change state mandates concerning assessments.

“I think that we’re missing the point if we think that it’s an equity or fairness issue because it cuts both ways. This is a matter of law … we cannot avoid this. We have avoided this. It should have been done every 10 years,” Richardson said.

Councilor Jane Millett said that there is even more to worry about in regards to Brunswick’s future and, that as a real estate professional, she’s heard other agencies using assessments as a strategic marketing tool against the town of Brunswick through a misrepresentation of overall taxes.

The revaluation project will take about two years to complete and several councilors remarked that the public should be reached and informed about the process as it moves forward.

dmcintire@timesrecord.com

The Times Record Sustaining Sponsor
We believe a community must be informed to thrive. bowdoin.edu