Board of Assessment Review

 

The Board of Assessment Review is comprised of three residents of the Town of Barrington. Per the Town Charter, the Board must be comprised of a mix of political party members and cannot be all Democratic or Republican. The Town Council appoints members and terms for Board members are staggered to three-year intervals. A majority of the members of the Board shall constitute a quorum. The Board is aided by; the Town Solicitor, the Assessor's Clerk sits as the Board Secretary, and the Tax Assessor provides both technical answers and support for the current assessed valuation. The Board meets on an as-needed basis and the meetings are open to the public.

The Board of Assessment Review shall hear and consider the appeal of any property owner concerning the amount of the assessed valuation of the property, as determined by the Tax Assessor, is cases in which the valuation of the property as determined by the Tax Assessor erroneous. The Tax Assessor shall be afforded an opportunity to appear before the Board of Assessment Review in all cases to present any relevant information. If the Board of Assessment Review determines that the valuation of any property has been erroneously assessed, the Board shall transmit its determination to the Town Council, which may cancel, in whole or in part, the tax based on such valuation in order to effect a correction.

Appeals to the Board must be filed within thirty (30) days of the Tax Assessor's decision. If the Tax Assessor does not render a decision within forty-five (45) days of the filing of an initial appeal, then the time frame to appeal to the Board is extended to ninety (90) days. Once an appeal application is accepted as complete, the Board has ninety (90) days to hear the appeal and render a written decision (the Board has thirty (30) days after all testimony has been given to render said written decision).