Due to resignation and term expiration, the Town of Shutesbury is looking for volunteers to serve on the Board of Assessors. Appointed by the Select Board, assessors serve for a three-year term and receive an annual stipend. Persons with knowledge of municipal finance, real estate or construction would be an asset to the board. The Board of Assessors typically meets twice each month.
The board’s primary responsibility is to comply with Massachusetts state laws by ensuring that all property in the Town of Shutesbury is accurately and fairly assessed at full and fair cash value. Under the board’s supervision, the Administrative Assessor reviews sales and market conditions to reassess values each year, performs a town-wide recertification of valuations once every five years, and performs cyclical inspections of all properties once every nine years.
Once appointed, board members have two years to complete the MA Department of Revenue’s online Course 101 to learn more about assessing responsibilities including real estate and motor vehicle excise tax abatements, statutory exemptions and Chapter 61 forest, recreation and farmland properties.
The Board of Assessors does not raise or lower property taxes. Taxes are assessed in an amount sufficient to cover the state and local Town Meeting appropriations used to operate the town each fiscal year to pay for services such as schools, roads, fire protection, law enforcement, etc.
Interested? Contact Town Administrator, Becky Torres 259-1214 townadmin@shutesbury.org
Or Kevin Rudden, Administrative Assessor 259-3790 assessor@shutesbury.org