New West Hartford Assessments to be Mailed Nov. 18
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Front entrance of West Hartford Town Hall. Photo credit: Ronni Newton (we-ha.com file photo)
The Town of West Hartford has completed the revaluation process and new assessments will be mailed Nov. 18, 2021, and time slots will be available for those wishing to schedule a conference to discuss their property value.
Submitted
The Town of West Hartford has completed the revaluation of all real estate on its Grand List as of Oct. 1, 2021.
Notices of new values will be mailed on Nov. 18, 2021. The notice will contain the old market value and assessment based on the 2016 revaluation and the new market value and assessment based on current market values as of Oct. 1, 2021.
State law requires Property Revaluation at least once every five years. West Hartford completed its previous revaluation on Oct. 1, 2016.
The purpose of revaluation is to determine the current market value of all properties in town ensuring an equal distribution of the property tax. Your new assessment represents 70% of your property’s current market value as of Oct. 1, 2021. You can view property data online at http://gis.vgsi.com/westhartfordct.
Please note that the new assessment, not the market value, will be the basis for your tax bill in June 2022. The town will adopt a new mill rate in April 2022 that will be applied to the new assessment. If you are entitled to exemptions, they will be applied to your June 2022 tax bill.
If you believe the property value indicated on your notice does not reflect the current market value and you would like to discuss this, a conference may be scheduled.
Due to COVID-19, there will be no in-person conferences. Conferences are by phone in 15-minute segments; you will receive a call from the appraiser at your selected time. If you have questions concerning more than one property, a separate appointment is required for each property.
Property owners who would like to have their new assessment reviewed may schedule an appointment using our on-line portal located at www.westhartfordct.gov/town-departments/assessment/revaluation. Your portal login code and your password will be provided in your assessment notice. You will need both to access the appointment scheduler. You may also schedule an appointment by calling 860-561-7598.
When scheduling your appointment using our online portal, you will have the option to upload scanned documents you want the hearing officer to have during the appointment. If you do not have the resource to upload documents, you may send your material into the Assessment Office, at least three days before your conference. The address is Assessment Office, 50 South Main Street, Room 142, West Hartford, CT 06107.
Conferences begin Nov. 23, 2021 and end on Dec. 30, 2021. Hours for the conferences are 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and Saturdays from 9 a.m to noon. You will be notified in writing of your conference results.
If conference results are not to your satisfaction, you may file an appeal form with the Board of Assessment Appeals by Feb. 22, 2022. Appeal forms are available in the Town Hall Assessment Office, Room 142, or online at http://www.westhartfordct.gov/assessment. The Board will hear appeals during the month of March 2022.
Before you schedule a conference, ask yourself THREE questions:
- Does the Assessment Office have the correct information on my property? You can verify that the details of your property are correct by going to the town’s website http://gis.vgsi.com/westhartfordct.
- What are similar properties in my neighborhood selling for? You can do a sales analysis by going to the website and clicking on “Sales Search.” Choose recent sales that are similar to your own property by selecting similar criteria like dwelling style.
- Could I sell my property for that amount? Provide any recent appraisals, or a list of recent sales in your neighborhood of homes most similar to yours. These documents can be uploaded into the appointment scheduling portal.
Please keep in mind that these appointments are not a forum to discuss property taxes.
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Those in working class neighborhoods getting their 15-20% increases should look at what is happening in the most expensive neighborhoods. While our council wrings their hands about the affordability of housing in West Hartford, the taxes rise much faster than income to subsidize homeowners like this one:
http://gis.vgsi.com/westhartfordct/Parcel.aspx?Pid=4808
That appraisal went down a little over 1%. In the last revaluation it went down 9.5%. Hmmm, it looks like houses in Elmwood will be taxed higher than in this neighborhood after a few more revaluations. Anybody else bothered by this?