Town-Wide Reappraisal

Brattleboro's last reappraisal was in 2010. Property values have changed a great deal since then. As a result, the State of Vermont Tax Department has found the property assessments to be inequitable. Some property owners may be paying more than their share of the property tax, others may be paying less. The reappraisal is being conducted to address these inequities and ensure that each property owner pays only their fair share.

The reappraisal will be conducted by New England Municipal Consultants.

You will receive a letter ahead of time, sent to areas of town that the data collectors will be working in. The town will not announce specific street schedules for security and logistical reasons.

The data collectors will be in yellow vests and carry badges produced by the town. Their profile photos are available online on the reappraisal project page of the Town's website. If there is a question about who is at your door, you can call the Assessor's Office at 802-251-8156.

NEMC will be asking to do interior inspections to collect more accurate data. NEMC does not need to view every room inside your home. The data collectors are primarily interested in select areas, including kitchens, bathrooms, and the basement.

The letter will provide an opportunity to call and set up an appointment, and property owners have the option to say they do not wish NEMC to come on the property at all. If no interior inspection is allowed, general assumptions will be made based on what is visible from the road and other resources, which may necessitate using the grievance process later to correct any errors.

The field collection is scheduled to begin on December 1, 2025. NEMC will be working full-time in the community for about 16 to 17 months.

The reappraisal will be completed for the 2027 Grand List. No one will see the ultimate change in their taxes until 2027.

A reappraisal does not increase or decrease tax revenue. It only distributes the total tax burden more fairly. As property values go up overall, the tax rate goes down proportional to the increase in the grand list. The grand list is the official list of all properties in town.

The tax rate will change as a result of the Grand List changing. If your property's percentage change in value is comparable to the overall average change for the whole town, your tax bill should not change significantly. The tax bill is also affected by the education portion, which is a big variable.

A reappraisal is revenue-neutral, although it will cause tax burden shifts among properties. Some owners will see increases while others will see decreases, and others will remain approximately the same. This is before any municipal or education budgetary changes are considered.

Commercial properties are valued based on their ability to generate revenue/income, using an approach that is a hybrid of sales and income/expense data. Income and expense mailers will be sent out to commercial owners.

The market value of your property will be determined with property data collection. Recent sales will be analyzed of similar properties. Construction costs and income and expense information will be considered where appropriate.

The assessment is tasked to reflect 100% of fair market value as of April 1st, 2027, using the prior three years of sales (April 1, 2024 to April 1, 2027) only within Brattleboro.

There are several long explanations of market value. But, simply put, it is the most probable price a willing buyer would pay a willing seller for a property on the open market if neither party were under pressure to buy or sell.

You should ask yourself: could I, or would I, sell my property for the amount listed as my new assessment?

You will receive a preliminary value notice that will show your old assessment and your new assessment.

NEMC is offering an extensive grievance process that includes a new, initial stage: informational hearings with the company before the formal grievance process. 

• Informational Hearing (with NEMC): At this stage, you can ask questions about your new record card, go over the data, and the company can still make value changes.
• Formal Grievance Process (with Town Assessor/Listers): The project is turned over to the Town Assessor and Board of Listers for the formal process. Grievance forms must be submitted to the Assessors office prior to grievance. Forms can be accessed from the Town’s website or by request of the Assessors.

Yes, the entire town's data will be published in a new online database where you can search and filter values by street, building type, age, etc. Paper copies will be available at the Municipal Center.