By Susan MacEachron

Norfolk property owners who want to appeal the recent revaluation of their real estate, vehicle or personal property must file the completed application by 4p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20 at  Town Hall. No exceptions are made for applications filed after the deadline and the paperwork must include an original signature of the property owner. Applications postmarked before Feb. 20 but received after the deadline will be rejected.

The application is on the town website under Board of Assessment Appeals (Board). Appeals will be heard on Thursday, March 6 and Tuesday, March 11 starting at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday, March 8 starting at 9 a.m. Board Chair Walter Godlewski said they allow 20 minutes per appeal. He emphasized that applicants must have a reason for believing their property value is too high and must tell the board what value they think should apply.

Norfolk Tax Assessor Rae Ann Walcott is preparing the new Grand List based on the revaluation and it should be completed on or before Jan. 31. The Board of Finance will establish the mill rate for the next fiscal year when it approves the budget, typically in May. Until the new mill rate is established there is no way to determine the impact of the new property valuation on the tax owed.

It is important to note that there is an opportunity to appeal the assessed value every year. Godlewski said there is often higher demand for an assessment appeal in the year following a revaluation, after property owners have had a chance to see the impact on their tax bill.

Godlewski urged anyone who believes there is a mistake in how property is described to contact Walcott before filing an appeal. He said the goal is equity among property owners and errors on the assessor’s records should be corrected. Real estate records are available on the town website under a link on the Assessor page “Online Property Cards and Mapping”.