A 1972 property tax rate of $38 per $1,000 of valuation was announced yesterday by Assessor Chairman James J. Drummey.
This marked the culmination of the town’s year-and-a-half-long transition from a 42 percent assessment basis to 100 percent of property values.
The new rate is based on a total town property valuation of $284.4 million, representing a massive $197.8 million increase over the 1971 total. While the $38 rate reflects a $79 decrease from the previous year’s $117 rate (which was assessed at 42 percent), the absolute tax burden is shaped by a net amount of $10.8 million to be raised by property taxation—up $674,047 from 1971. Drummey explained that total town appropriations voted for 1972 reached $21.1 million (a $2.3 million increase), offset by estimated receipts and available funds totaling $10.3 million.
The sweeping reassessment was mandated by a November 1970 Superior Court decree following ten taxpayers’ suits filed earlier that year, overriding previous delays and directing the town to complete the valuation by 1972. The firm Cole, Layer and Trumble of Dayton, Ohio, was hired to carry out the project following an $110,000 appropriation by town meeting. After new valuation figures were mailed to residents in June, assessors fielded appeals and protests from approximately 700 residents during a month-long review in July, which ultimately resulted in a slightly lower rate than the initial $40 estimate.
Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger
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