Norwalk Officials To Offer Answers On Recent Revaluation

NORWALK, Conn. – Norwalk officials will hold a series of workshops later this month to help residents understand their recently-changed property assessments.

Norwalk City Hall will host the last of three seminars on property values this month.
Photo Credit: *File*

by Greg Canuel

12/05/2013 5:00 a.m.

This year Norwalk hired Massachusetts-based Vision Government Solutions, Inc. to conduct a revaluation of the city’s properties. State law requires towns to reassess values on all properties once every five years. These assessments are used to calculate property values until the next revaluation in 2018.

Property owners should have received notice of their new assessments in October. These will be used to calculate tax bills starting next July. Landowners can appeal these assessments formally next year, and the city will also hold Informal Appeal Hearings starting Dec. 31.

“Informal Appeals are an important part of the revaluation process, and are the best opportunity for property owners to achieve resolutions of data and valuation issues before the grand list is finalized,” the city said in a press release.

Before the informal appeals, the city will hold a series of information sessions with representatives from the Assessor’s office and Vision Government Solutions. The speakers will explain the full process and answer questions homeowners may have on Dec. 16-18. The schedule is available here.

Vision also has offered some advice for property owners to see if they may have an incorrect assessment. Residents can review these steps in the FAQ section of the company’s website before heading into the session to prepare their questions.

First, homeowners should check to see if the city has the correct information on file for their home. Parcel size, number of bedrooms and bathrooms and other amenities are all part of the calculation for an assessment. The field card information for each property is available at the city’s website.

Residents can also look up recent property sales in their neighborhood through the Assessor’s online database. Property assessments are calculated based on recent sales in the area with similar features. Appraisers also look at the recently sold property’s size, number of bedrooms and parcel size and adjust accordingly.

“Please be aware that what may appear to be a similar parcel may in fact be very different from your property,’ Vision tells homeowners on its website.

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