The Manchester Board of Assessors has received Preliminary Certification from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue on the new assessments proposed for FY2021, according to Ginny N. Thompson, principal assessor for Manchester-by-the-Sea.
The new proposed assessments will be available for review by taxpayers starting Monday, October 5 through Monday, October 19 at the Town Hall assessor’s office on the counter terminal and online at www.manchester.ma.us.
New assessments are based on 2019 sales, according to Thompson.
"We analyze all arms-length sales and make adjustments to land and building rates based on those. We also make adjustments to out buildings (sheds, garages, etc.) and other features as needed. The State certifies our values every five years now with interim year adjustments the other four years," she said.
"We did see some assessments increase due to our analysis, some stay the same and some decrease. Properties that had building permits may show an increase if completed or a decrease if there is still major work to be done," she continued.
Thompson hopes to receive Final Certification and have our Classification hearing by the end of November. That will give us the month of December to get the tax rate approved, the tax bills printed and mailed by the end of December.
Anyone with questions can contact the Assessor’s Office at 978-526-2010. The office hours are Monday – Wednesday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Thursdays 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Please check out our website at www.manchester.ma.us for the new proposed assessments, mapping, the billing process, the abatement process and other valuable information.
