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Revaluation Delay Unlikely

By Steve Goode

June 11, 2009

The city ran numbers to figure out whether it makes sense to delay the phase-in of this year's property revaluation.

And it apparently doesn't.

"Looking at those numbers, I think you'd have to say they don't pan out the way we'd want them to," said Councilman Matt Ritter, who last month asked for the inquiry. "It looks like it's not an option."

Last month, Ritter and at least one other on the city council asked the city to do the math and figure out if a revaluation delay would make sense. Such a move would mean the city would collect the same amount of tax revenue from its property owners, but the breakdown of who pays how much - from homeowners to commercial real estate owners - could change.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell signed a new law last month allowing municipalities to delay revaluation. The law gives towns and cities the option through 2011 to halt revaluation and defer the effect that recent revaluations have on property assessments.

But it's apparently not much of an option for the city. Below is the letter Ritter and Councilman Jim Boucher got from the office of Mayor Eddie A. Perez explaining the numbers.