Revaluation

Bolton Revaluation Report
Residential Sales used for Revaluation

Revaluation Update 11/22/2023
Notices of Assessment Change were mailed to all property owners on 11/22/2023.  Please read the notice carefully.  If you have any questions about the assessment, Vision Government Solutions will be holding informal telephone hearings from 11/29/2023 – 12/16/2023.  Appointment instructions are on the notice. 

If you do not receive a notice by December 1, 2023, you can send an email request that one be sent to you to kfishman@boltonct.gov.  You will receive the notice within several days of your request.  If you changed your mailing address, convey that information in the email. 

The new assessment data will also be available online at http://gis.vgsi.com/Boltonct.  There you will find a value summary, property data and general revaluation information.

If you do not have access to a computer, call 1-888-844-4300 between the hours of 9:00 am and 4:00 pm, Monday – Friday. 

Please do not call the Assessor’s Office to request a notice or discuss your assessment. 

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Veterans Exemptions

As a veteran or current active duty military with prior service periods residing in Bolton, you may be eligible for a veteran’s exemption under the Connecticut General Statutes.  To receive the basic exemption on the 2023 Grand List, a veteran’s long-form DD214 showing an honorable discharge must be recorded in the town clerk’s office prior to October 1, 2023.  There is no cost to do this.  If you do not have a copy, one can be requested at http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/.  The basic assessment reduction under CT General Statutes §12-81(19) and §12-81g is 4,500. 

Additional Veterans Exemption (Income-based)

Under CT General Statute §12-81f and §12-81g, you may be eligible for the Additional Veterans exemption, an income-based exemption program, that doubles the assessment reduction.  For the 2023 Grand List, based on 2022 household income, the income limit is $40,300 if you are single or $49,100 if you are married.  The application deadline is October 1, 2023. 

If you are 100% VA-determined disabled, the income limits are $18,000 for unmarried households or $21,000 if married.  Veteran's Disability payments and non-taxable social security income are not counted as income for this program. 

Disabled Veterans
You may be eligible for an exemption under §12-81(20) of the Connecticut General Statutes as a veteran with a disability.  The disability need not be service-related.  The degree of disability, as determined by the Veteran’s Administration, must be at least 10%.  The exemption increases as the percent disability rises.  If you are eligible, you will need a disability rating from the United States Veterans’ Administration that specifies the percentage disability.  You are only required to file it with the assessor once; if the VA changes your disability percentage, you will have to update the proof with the assessor again. 

Renters Rebate Program

The Assessor’s Office is accepting applications for the 2023 Renters’ Rebate Program.  This is a state program that the town administers.  The program is for low income renters 65 years of age or older and for renters under the age of 65 who are receiving Social Security disability payments.  Household incomes for 2022 must have been under $40,300 (single) or $49,100 (married).  The basic requirements are that you have lived in Connecticut for at least one year and have proof of your rent and utility payments.  The application period is April 1 – October 1.  Checks are mailed to eligible renters by the state after October 1.

The calendar year 2022 documents needed to process your application are:

• Social Security 1099 form
• 1099 forms for pensions, dividends, interest, et cetera
• Proof of wages (W-2 form)
• If filed, complete copy of your tax return
• Proof of all rental payments in 2022 (January – December 2022) in the form of canceled checks, rent receipts or letter/ledger from landlord.
• If not included in the rent, proof of utilities paid in 2022 (January – December 2022). Contact the utility company to receive an itemized report of what was actually paid.  Qualifying utility expenses include electric, gas, oil, propane, kerosene and water. 
• If filing as a disabled renter, proof of disability such as a benefit letter from Social Security, award letter dated within past 3 years or any other proof showing total and permanent disability under a government program.

REVALUATION

2023 is a revaluation year for the Town of Bolton.  CT General Statute 12-62 requires the revaluation of all real estate in town every five years.  The last revaluation in Bolton was for the 10/1/2018 Grand List.  The 2023 values will be used to determine taxes payable in the summer of 2024.

The town has contracted with Vision Government Solutions, Inc. (VGSI) in Hudson, Massachusetts, to work with the Assessor’s Office on revaluation.  Vision data collectors and appraisers will be frequent visitors to town in the over the next year, starting in March 2023. 

All Vision employees will be wearing an identification badge and will have written documentation from the town stating their affiliation with the project.  Homeowners are encouraged to ask for this identification before answering questions or admitting an inspector to their homes.  The Assessor’s Office, Town Administrator’s Office and State Police will be provided with information on the employees and their vehicles. 

There are five major phases to a municipal revaluation: Data Collection, Market Analysis, Valuation, Field Review, and Informal Hearings.

PHASE 1: DATA COLLECTION [Estimated time frame is March 2023 thru October 2023].
The first phase of revaluation is collecting current information on each property, verifying recent sales and physical changes.  During this phase, a data collector will visit some properties as part of a “Full Inspection.”[1]  Exterior inspections and measurements will be taken and an interior inspection will be performed, with the permission of the property owner or his or her representative.  The data collector will note the building, size, age, quality of construction, outbuildings, topography, utilities, and other characteristics inside and out.

Questions regarding the terms of the recent sale and any changes made to the property since it was purchased will also be asked.  The property owner is asked to sign the data collection form to verify that the inspection took place. The entire process takes approximately 15 minutes.

All property owners will receive data mailers by mail to verify property characteristics.  CT State Statutes require that all properties be inspected at least once every ten years; returned data mailers count as an inspection.  Make any corrections to the information listed for your property and return the form. 

Data mailers will also list open building permits.  Indicate if the work has been completed.  Note that this is only for the purposes of revaluation.  You will still need to get permitted work approved by the Building Department. 

Property owners are reminded that specific questions regarding their current assessment should be directed to the Assessor’s Office.  Vision Government Solutions data collectors are not town employees and therefore are not prepared to answer questions concerning current values or town laws. 

PHASE 2: MARKET ANALYSIS [Estimated time frame for completion is Oct 15, 2023].
While the physical data is being collected, Vision appraisal personnel will be analyzing sales that took place in Bolton over the last two years to determine which market factors influence property values.  Once all the data is collected and reviewed for accuracy, the appraiser will determine a schedule of land values.

PHASE 3: VALUATION [Estimated time frame for completion is Oct. 15, 2023].
Valuation is done using one or more of the three recognized methods, Replacement Cost New less Depreciation, Income Capitalization and Market Sales.  Properties are compared with the validated sales and income and expense data to develop depreciation and income and expense schedules.  A final estimate of value is determined and allocated between land and buildings. 

PHASE 4: FIELD REVIEW [Estimated time frame for completion is Sept. 15, 2023].
Field Review is the method of checking and re-checking both the values that have been established and the data that has been collected. During this review, properties are viewed in the field by experienced appraisers who check uniformity and accuracy of information.

PHASE 5: NOTICES AND INFORMAL HEARINGS [Estimated time frame is late Nov. - early Dec. 2023].
A notice with the preliminary new assessed value will be mailed to each property owner.  At this time, anyone with questions concerning the revaluation process or about the data collected on their property has an opportunity to meet with Vision's staff in an informal hearing.  If you request a hearing and the value is changed, you will be mailed a new notice. 

If applicable, the notices will provide the property assessment with and without PA 490 values.  The PA 490 values have been changed to reflect the new use values published by the CT Office of Policy and Management every 5 years (see below). 

After the five phases are completed, all data, files, records, etc. used in the revaluation are turned over to the Bolton Assessor’s Office.  The target date for this is December 30, 2023.

Contact the Assessor’s Office with any questions at 860-649-8066, ext 6100.  You may also directly contact the Assessor at 860-649-8066 ext 6102 or kfishman@boltonct.org.  It may take a few days to get a response given the part-time hours.  The Assessor is available to answer questions and to do inspections on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. 

We look forward to working with Bolton property owners and Vision to establish fair and equitable property values for the next five years.  Thank you!

=============================================================================================================New PA 490 Values take effect for the 2023 revaluation.  Many property owners in Bolton have land classified as farm or forest land under the PA 490 program, the use value assessment program in CT (CGS Sec. 12-107a – 12-107f).  Every 5 years, the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management and the Commissioner of Agriculture are required to develop per acre values for use in setting the use assessments for farm and forest land.  Farm land values are based on agricultural rents.  Forest land values are based on characteristics such as the type and density of trees, sawlog prices and tree growth rates. 

• CT General Statute Sec.12-62(a)(3) has the following definition:
  “Full inspection" or "fully inspect" means to measure or verify the exterior dimensions of a building or structure and to enter and examine the interior of such building or structure in order to observe and record or verify the characteristics and conditions thereof, provided permission to enter such interior is granted by the property owner or an adult occupant;