Please forgive me here but I always thought our property taxes were based on Fair market value?

9 Sterling sold for $259,000
Assessor Database Total valuation $286,300

13 Tangle wood Circle sold for $205,000
Assessor Database Total valuation $270,000

24 Alpine Rd sold for $510,000
Assessor Database Total valuation $584,800

wow 9 sterling place finally sold, it was on the market over 2.5 years. bringing the prices down down down... I AM CHUMBADUMBA!

taxes are calculated on assessed value, which is 70% of appraised value at the time of revaluation

And at that time of revaluation hundreds of residents appealed those amounts and were fortunate if they received a $10,000 reduction. When I contacted the state about my revaluation I was informed the Monroe assessor's office receives more complaints than any in the state. When the fish stinks, it stinks from the head down.

As long as every house in the town is similarly over-valued for tax purposes, it doesn't matter. The valuations are just a way to divide up the total tax bill.

Sorry but that simply does not make sense. That might make sense if they all were over valued by the same amount but they are NOT? So how is that fair? It seem that most of us are paying more then we should while a few are under valued are paying less?. It should and does matter when we are treating our citizens unfairly. In this economy every penny counts. Don't believe me, try shorting any of your bills by a few dollars.
From what I can tell it seems most homes in Monroe are over valued by varying amounts and a very few are under valued. Please check yourself. Is it to much to ask to be taxed fairly and accurately?

Here are more past examples from 11/07/11 to 12/21/11 time period, some are close some are very far apart. Most are over, a few are under.
71 Hidden Knolls Cir sold for $99,900 Assessor total value $135,600
61 Israel Hill Rd sold for $330,000 Assessor total value $360,800
6 Cedar Terrance sold for $216,000 Assessor total value $289,700
47 Hurd Ave sold for $320,000 Assessor total value $336,400
249 Porter Hill Rd sold for $235,000 Assessor total value $338,700
20 Lover's Lane sold for $460,000 Assessor total value $529,600
23 Bittersweet sold for $235,000 Assessor total value $269,500
58 Secret Hollow sold for $430,000 Assessor total value $496,700
These two sold for more then the assessor total value
58 Purdy Hill sold for $445,000 Assessor total value $431,000
7 Independence Dr sold for $460,000 Assessor total value $384,500
5 Historic Dr sold for $ 490,000 Assessor total value $507,100
Here is another that sold for more then the assessor total value
4 Wrabel Circle sold for $248,000 Assessor total value $240,900
22 Nutmeg Cir sold for $165,000 Assessor total value $220,000

The big question here is everyone knows that the huge majority of taxpayers are being ripped off by the town through the assessors office and no one at town hall cares. Talk about getting the government we deserve.

If you plan on selling your home some day, you don't want it to be under-valued either.

Are you saying that in towns that have the highest property taxes every home has a higher resale value then in all surrounding towns? Doesn't what it cost in yearly taxes subtract from any profit you may receive, if your that lucky? So the longer you stay the less you gain? What about those who do not plan on selling their home and plan on staying? Again how is this fair or accurate? We as taxpayers and homeowners are suppose to be accurate why should we not expect the same in return? Or is it that WL totally correct ? ?

Thanks to Monroe Taxpayer for some real data.

Based on those numbers, the homes sold for an average of 91% of the appraised value. If you average only those that sold for less value than appraised, the accuracy is about 86%. Now consider that the last revaluation was two years prior (based on dates on the town’s web site) to these sales and the home values have been declining in this period and this accuracy does not seem too far off.

Trumbull just completed their revaluation and it was reported that the average decline was 20%, so this is even greater than the 14% decline represented by these Monroe sales.

So this quick look at the numbers would suggest to me that the appraised values were not really that far off the mark at the time they were made.

A week or so ago the Monroe Courier published an article on how home prices had dropped in CT and in Monroe and neighboring towns. During the last revaluation that same story ran; only difference is prices are even further down now. Check with the assessor's office on how many appeals were heard over regarding the last revaluation. How do you get fairness from the people who are trying to raise as much money as possible? It was like asking robbers to return what they had stolen because they knew in their hearts it was wrong. How do you fight when the system is set up against you? You don't think the town manager and council know they are passing tax rates on overvalued property? Why do they care to do the right thing? When you appeal the revaluation you are appareling to the same people who are passing budgets they know most residents can't afford. And taxes are so high now that to get out of this town a home owner has only one choice: eat the loss.

If the houses are revalued to a lower price, the mill rate will just be raised to offset that. The town needs a certain amount of tax dollars (as determined during the budget process) and the house values and the mill rate are basically plug numbers to figure out how to spread out that tax bill.

I understand your point and totally understand why you feel the way you do. I have had a very similar experience myself and we are not alone.
I have a very tough time believing that home prices are falling due to our property taxes are not high enough That simply does not make sense. If it did then the towns with the highest property taxes would also have the highest priced homes .Also higher taxes subtract from any profit you may receive(if the market ever recovers and if anyone is still that lucky).
What does not make sense is for everyone to just accept the fact that this process is inaccurate and unfair and to just say its close enough ??
Again why is it that we use time, money and energy on all other problems but this one?
Isn't about time someone does address this issue ??

I am living proof that the process is inaccurate and unfair. I have a 1300 sq ft home in Stevenson on .19 acres and pay $4,500+ in taxes. I appealed when the information in the office was deemed inaccurate (One example: I supposedly had central heat and AC, when in fact I have radiators. The house is 90 years old and opened with a skeleton key when we bought it.) Appeal denied. What do I get for my money? Recyclable pickup and schools. My road is a patched up mess so I have to bring my kid to another road for the bus, and we don't have sidewalks or street lights. It is a shame. My friends think I am nuts for buying here.

Did the town get a refund from the appraisal service that completely screwed up a few years ago?

Kelly,
My house is a 1957, no AC, baseoard heated, no updates, 1,000 sq ft. Slightly more property. Our taxes are close to 5,000. I hear you.

Mr Kirsch Falling property values should be reflected when we are paying taxes on our property / homes we are being taxed on? . Yearly taxes to me anyway, seem to be nothing more then a yearly rent. And will subtract from any profit, and or will add to the loss, on the sale of every home. Over time that effect only increases. When property values were rising tax increases had a minimal effect, but now we have dropping property values and increasing taxes, so the homeowner are taking a double hit.. Is that fair? This is a totally different economic environment then we have ever had in the recent past. Should everyone just choose to ignore an issue that effects everyone?
"There is no way to be that accurate"? Then how can our taxes be fair? Or is that no cares about fairness and only about the money involved?
It about time that we find a way to do just that do to just that. How about allowing homeowners to get appraisals and have there taxes adjusted and not be just dismissed as if they do not matter? You said "all appraisals are subjective", I agree, Including the the assessors. Just look at what the data is saying. if need proof.
Its about time we take our head out of the sand, stop making bad excuses and addre

@Denise So your opinion is that being more up to date would not do any good? Even after the data shows there is a problem with the system we currently use? It sounds more like some are coming up with excuses to keep the current flawed unfair system in place rather then improving upon it?
Your only and main concern seem to be funding of the town.government budgets.
What about fairness to the individual families that make up the town? What about their survival and economic welfare, their family budgets?. Which brings us to ask. Just who should have priority here? The people who make up the town, or the government that was created to serve them? See I still believe people come first, not governments. Here an idea, maybe we should ask them and see what they think and see?
Should we keep the same obviously flawed system? The current data proves, this system is unfair. Or should we try to make the system more to update, responsive and accurate, so everyone pays on their true current market value? Bet no one has ever even asked them? Its about time we did.

That's not at all what I am saying. I am saying that you are mixing two different issues - your house valuation and the taxes in town. Just because the value of our homes has gone down does not mean it costs less to run the town.

And how would you propose the town's tax bill be allocated if the current system does not work?

Ok, let's say they do revalue every year. If the houses all go down proportionately with the real estate market, the mill rate will just increase that much more to make up the decline in values. The only relief you will get is if your house declines in value more than the average decline of the town. If that happens, you should have a bigger concern than having you tax bill going up at a slightly lower rate than your neighbor. I am not defending the system. I just don't think your solution will do anything. The root of your complaint should really be the overall budget of the town, not how they divvy up the bill.

See that part of the problem Its not factual to increase or decrease all homes at the same rate. They must be handle on an individual basis to be fair and accurate. If not you have one family paying more then they should and another paying less. Over a period of time it adds up to be quite a sum of money, as some of this week data has shown. At least we would have fairness in the tax system which would assure the taxpayers.
You seem to see the mil rate being adjusted to just negate any shortage? Well what if that action was not approved unless the taxpayer voted to do so? Then cuts would have to be made? It ALL would be up to the citizens. . Which is the way it should be. It seems the current system limits choices and input by the citizens. It would be an improvement to increase those choices and voices.
More participation and fairness? What is there to be afraid of here?