The Scarborough Assessing Department is conducting a townwide property revaluation this spring to maintain fair property taxation by ensuring that property values accurately reflect current market conditions.
It’s likely there will be a shift in the tax burden from commercial to residential properties, said Nicholas Cloutier, assessor for Scarborough.
“Although it is still too early in the process for us to know the new assessed values, we have observed that home values have risen faster than commercial real estate in neighboring communities who have performed a revaluation in the last one to two years,” Cloutier said. “To be clear, this potential ‘shift’ of the tax burden from commercial to residential is still unknown but is seemingly likely to occur to some extent based on preliminary information.”
The other key factor that could impact residents’ 2024-25 property tax bills is the town’s annual budget.
“Though (setting the budget) is not a function of the assessor or a product of the revaluation, the amount of money needed to be raised through property taxes could have an effect on your tax bill,” Cloutier said. “The Town Council will be diligently working on the 2024-2025 budget process in April-May, so any possible change in approved expenditures or planned revenues has not yet been determined.”
The elimination of the state’s Senior Property Tax Stabilization Program also could impact property owners’ annual tax bills, Cloutier said, by affecting the amount needed to be raised through property taxes.
Additionally, property assessments may vary based on factors such as new construction, data corrections or market trends.
Cloutier said fluctuations in property assessments are anticipated. “In its essence, a revaluation is conducted to ensure that all properties are valued accurately, and therefore that all taxpayers pay their fair share,” Cloutier said. “It’s possible that your property’s assessed value may increase more than other people’s, or vice versa.”
The discontinuation of the Senior Property Tax Stabilization Program complicates the assessments, Cloutier said.
“Over 1,800 Scarborough households benefited from the state’s former Property Tax Stabilization program. To help soften this unfortunate hardship resulting from the state’s decision to end this program, the town manager intends to include funding in the FY25 budget request to increase the maximum benefit amount by $250 for Scarborough’s local, income-based, senior Property Tax Assistance Program which benefits over 400 eligible senior households each year.”
Cloutier said transparency and timely communication regarding the revaluation process is important.
“The Assessing Department greatly appreciates your patience and understanding as we work to complete the remaining tasks in the revaluation process,” he said. “As soon as we have a clear picture of the actual new assessment information, we will communicate this promptly.”
To assist residents in navigating the revaluation process, Cloutier outlined key milestones and provided a timeline:
• November 2023–April 2024: Assessor to analyze all sales, commercial income and expense data, and update database cost tables.
• May–June 2024: Preliminary new valuation notices mailed to property owners.
• June–August 2024: Owners may appeal the appraised valuation of their property through informal hearings.
• August 2024: FY2025 Tax Rate set based on final townwide taxable valuation and Town Council-approved FY2025 budget.
• September 2024: Tax bills mailed reflecting new assessment and new tax rate.
• February 2025: Formal appeals deadline.
Cloutier assured residents of ongoing efforts to provide assistance and clarification as needed. He said the Assessing Department aims to keep residents informed throughout the revaluation process to facilitate informed decision-making regarding their property tax obligations.
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