How will my taxes change as a result of the new assessment?

Although the value of your property affects your share of taxes, the actual amount you pay is determined by the budget needs of the schools, municipality, county, etc. While a Revaluation may result in a change of nearly each assessment, it does not mean that all property values will change in the same fashion. Assessments are only the base that is used to determine the tax burden. The tax burden is the amount that the schools, municipality, county, etc. must raise to operate the local government and support the many services each of us has come to expect such as fire, police, school, etc. All of these taxing units decide what services they will provide in the coming year and how much money they will need to provide these services. These items are then presented to your City Council or Town Meeting, School Board and County Commissioners for approval or disapproval. Once the decision to approve a budget is made, a tax rate is set by the state that will generate the needed dollars. If the total budget for the Town remains the same as the previous year and each assessment changes as a result of the Revaluation, the tax rate needs to be changed in order to raise the same amount of money. The Revaluation does not increase or change the overall tax revenue required, but the results of the new assessments may alter each property owner's portion of the total.