BURRILLVILLE – Northeast Revaluation Group, LLC will perform a full revaluation of all residential and commercial property in Burrillville at a cost of $256,000, a process that happens every nine years slated to begin in the coming months.
The Warwick-based company was one of two bidders for the job, coming in below the price estimate provided by Vision Government Solutions, the competing firm Burrillville has used for the past six years.
Finance Director Leslie McGovern recommended the change, approved last week by the Town Council, saying it’s the best decision for the town and its taxpayers.
“I have compiled information from both revaluation companies comparing and contrasting what they can offer to the town and I have also surveyed assessors in Rhode Island that have recently switched from Vision to Northeast to get their opinion on the change in companies,” McGovern said in a note to councilors.
The service, used to determine the fair market value of all real estate and tangible property in town through a thorough analysis, is required by state law once every nine years. Data collectors from Northeast typically go door-to-door to every home and business in Burrillville to conduct interior and exterior inspections, in a process expected to begin soon.
Appraisers will calculate the market value of properties as of Dec. 31, 2021, with the announcement of new values to go out early next year. The group will examine both taxable and exempt properties, as well as tangible property, which covers the furnishings and equipment of businesses.
Vision, based out of Hudson, Mass., offered a bid of $282,000 for the same service. The company provided Burrillville’s last two statistical revaluations, a less thorough process required by the state every three years between full revaluations, in 2018. The less arduous statistical process utilizes recent sales prices, rather than physical assessments, and saw values in Burrillville go up an average of 16 percent that year.
McGovern noted that her department currently uses Vision’s computer-assisted mass appraisal system, but that Northeast will convert the software free of charge.
In speaking with assessors in other towns, McGovern notes that, “they all said the customer service with Northeast is top notch.”
The software, she said, is also user-friendly, has many more available features and allows for more precision.
Town officials typically notify residents before the physical process is slated to begin.
