Middleboro Assessors: Revisited #1

During the recent Town Election, one of the candidates commented that if everyone did their own job to the best of their ability, we'd be in a much better place as a town.

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Since abatement requests remain confidential, there is no way to monitor the dissatisfaction created among homeowners, except anecdotally.

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For a variety of reasons, that dissatisfaction has been expressed to me on numerous occasions regarding errors on field cards that some have had difficulty correcting. The town representative arrives with the completed field card, NEVER measures, NEVER fully inspects and errors remain intact. And we ALL know about friends and neighbors who have finished basements, added bathrooms and much else, and that valuation is not reflected in the Assessors' records because NO ONE is doing a thorough inspection.

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Friends in other towns report that periodic inspections are conducted on portions of the Town each year and their homes are actually MEASURED WITH A TAPE MEASURE. Not so Middleboro.

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Since my ATB hearing in January 2008, prior to learning the outcome, I filed for an abatement.

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Although the Middleboro Board of Assessors had 3 months to make a decision and could have awaited the ATB ruling, they instead opted to deny my request promptly.

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Alas, the ATB ruling was in MY FAVOR, and against the Middleboro Assessors.

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My unskilled reading of MGL (Massachusetts General Law), case law and ATB information indicates that the Assessors have to respect that valuation for 2 subsequent years (unless they can substantiate an increase).

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In my conversations with ATB, who I might add have been wonderfully helpful in simplifying the law and procedures, I discovered other cases that Middleboro wasted time and effort challenging and lost. Ooops! They're Public Record!

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The Middleboro Assessor is paid +$80,000 to know the job, the laws, the procedures. When I questioned the assessment in view of the ATB decision, she informed me that my understanding was incorrect. Note to self: call ATB and inform of their misunderstanding of statute!

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At the recent Town Elections, the few Middleboro Voters who opted to participate, selected a candidate who indicated at Candidates' Night that her sole experience was that 'I am a Townie, Married to a Townie, my children married Townies. And I want to learn about the board.' Great on the job training! Thanks voters!

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And when I file with ATB YET AGAIN AND WIN and you absorb the cost of 2 town employees spending most of the day travelling to Boston, unbeknownst to you because you're not paying attention, please don't whine about the cost of town government.

Middleboro Assessors: How Much Worse?

Middleboro Property Valuations