The Town of Newtown will be conducting a full Revaluation for October 1, 2017. An Informal Meeting for question and answers will be held on June 14, 2016 at 7:00 PM at the Municipal Center, 3 Primrose Street, Newtown, CT.
The Town of Newtown would like to inform homeowners of the tax revaluation project being conducted for October 1, 2017 by representatives of the firm, Vision Government Solutions.
The first phase of the revaluation process is collecting current information on all of the properties in Newtown. As the data collector visits each property, they will confirm the exterior measurements of each building and document additional information such as location, topography, utilities, zoning, and quality of construction. Each home will be measured and the exterior inspected on the data collector’s first visit to the home. A new photograph of the home will also be taken to update the Assessor’s File.
Data collector’s will be wearing an identification badge and will have written documentation from the town stating their affiliation with the project. All Vision representatives and their vehicles are also registered with the Newtown police department. Homeowners are encouraged to for this identification prior to admitting anyone into their homes. If a homeowner has a question as to the identity of the data collector, they may call the Newtown Police or the Assessor’s office for further confirmation.
The interior inspections take only 10 to 15 minutes and include a quick tour of the house, including basement and attic space. The data collector will count the number of total rooms and make notations on heating system, interior construction and extra features of the home. The homeowner will be asked to sign the data collection form to verify that the inspection took place. An interior inspection will not be conducted unless a person 18 years or older is available to sign the form.
Data collectors generally work between the hours of 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. If the homeowner is unavailable at this visit, a letter with instructions on how to schedule an inspection appointment will be sent.
Homeowners are reminded that specific questions regarding their current assessment should be directed to the assessor’s office. Vision Government Solutions data collectors are not town employees and therefore are not prepared to answer questions concerning current values or town laws.
The Purpose of a Revaluation
The main purpose of a revaluation is to correct inequalities in the tax burden that have developed since the last revaluation in 2012. Revaluation is a revenue neutral process. This means that a municipality's tax levy is not changed by the revaluation, thus the total amount of taxes the Town will need to collect will be about the same, regardless of whether or not a revaluation takes place. What does change in a revaluation is the amount of taxes individual taxpayers pay. In July 2018, the first tax payments under this revaluation will be due.
Revaluation is a long process required by state law, one that will take almost two years to complete between the start of the process and the payment of the first tax bills after the revaluation. The Town of Newtown asks for patience during this process.
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