Assessor's Office
David Wheeler, Assessor
Christine Clarke, Assistant Assessor
Office Hours:
Monday 8:30 – 4:30 pm
Tuesday 8:30 – 4:30 pm
Wednesday 8:30 – 4:30 pm
Thursday 8:30 – 7:00 pm
Friday 8:30 – 1:00 pm
MIL RATE
2004 Mil Rate: 35.79
2005 Mil Rate: 36.73
Proposed Change in Mil Rate (PDF)
Real Property in Connecticut is assessed at 70% of full value as of the date of the last revaluation. The Town is scheduled to implement its next revaluation for October 1, 2006. Vernon's last revaluation was 10/1/2000. Personal Property and Motor Vehicles are assessed every year at 70% value.
Revaluation Presentation as Presented to the Town Council on Tuesday, September 19, 2006 (PDF)
Revaluation - Change in value notices (PDF)
Board of Assessment Appeal Application Form (PDF)
2005 Grand List Summary |
||||
| Category | Total Records | Gross Assessments | Exemptions | After BAA Net Assessments |
| Real Property | 9,848 | 1,092,385,327 | 8,262,250 | 1,084,123,077 |
| Personal | 1,231 | 74,198,15 | 2,765,545 | 71,432,611 |
| Motor Vehicle | 25,753 | 158,194,660 | 2,647,630 | 155,547,030 |
| Taxable Totals | 36,832 | 1,324,778,143 | 13,675,425 | 1,311,102,718 |
| Tax Exempt | ||||
| Real Property | 269 |
208,038,107 |
Personal 3 |
41,480 |
Important Dates for Taxpayers
Veterans: Qualified Veterans, and Active Servicemen, are entitled to a variety of applied exemptions to their assessments. To qualify, you must have an Honorable discharge, issued by the Department of Defense (DD-214)
It must be filed with the Town Clerk prior to October 1. Active Servicemen must file form and return it to the Assessor of the town in which the servicemen's automobile is registered, not later than the last day of the 15th month following the October 1st assessment date for which the exemption is sought.
Dates of Wars and other recognized military campaigns and operations under |
|
| Spanish-American War | April 21, 1898 to July 04, 1902 |
| Spanish-American War – Moro Providence | April 21, 1898 to July 15, 1903 |
| Mexican War 1 | March 10, 1916 to April 6, 1917 |
| World War 1 – Russia | April 6, 1917 to November 11, 1918 |
| World War ll | December 7, 1941 to December 31, 1946 |
| Korean Conflict | June 27, 1950 to January 31, 1955 |
| Vietnam Era | February 28, 1961 to July 1, 1975 |
| Lebanon | July 1, 1958 to November 1, 1958 or September 29, 1982 to March 30, 1984 |
| Invasion of Grenada | October 25, 1983 to December 15, 1983 |
| Operation Earnest Will | February 1, 1987 to July 23, 1987 |
| Invasion of Panama | December 20, 1989 to January 31, 1990 |
| Persian Gulf War | After August 2, 1990 |
Elderly Homeowners and Totally Disabled-Persons Tax Relief Program
Filing period is between February 3rd and May 15th
A tax relief program for elderly and totally disabled persons who meet certain income parameters is available to those who qualify. Once a person is approved for a tax credit, be must submit an application on a biennial basis. Under the property tax credit program an applicant must, as of the October 1st assessment date:
Be a Connecticut Resident
Record owner, hold life use, both on October 1st
Be sixty five years of age as of December 31st preceding the date in which they file an application for tax relief
Be receiving permanent total disability benefits
Verified Income from: Social Security Statement (SSA-1099), Pension Statements, Bank Interest Statements, any other income
Effective October 1st 2005 anyone qualifying under the State Program with the exception to the upper income level
is entitled to additional tax credits under the local option. Call the assessors office for details after May 15, 2006.
Personal Property
Anyone operating a business in the Town of Vernon is subject to a Personal Property Tax. Property is depreciated as described on the appropriate Personal Property Declaration. You must file a personal property application each year with the assessor's office no later than November 1st.
Those that do not file or file declarations after November 1st are subject to a twenty five percent on the total assessment.
Applications may be picked up in the Assessor's Office after September 15th. No on-line or electronic filing is available. Non-residents must file in the town where the business assets are located for three or more of the twelve months preceding the assessment date. Even if a property has been sold, or was not located in the state on the assessment date, it must be reported if it meets the 3-month rule.
If you operate a business on October 1st than you are subject to a Personal Property tax. If the business is closed or sold after October 1st, there is no prorating and the July tax bill must be paid. If the business opens after October 1st, and proper proof is provided, than no Personal Property Tax is due for that preceding grand list.
Motor Vehicles
SEE THE TAX COLLECTOR SITE FOR DETAILS ON MOTOR VEHICLE PRORATES, CORRECTIONS AND PROOF REQUIRED FOR ADJUSTMENTS. BASICALLY, A PLATE RECEIPT AND ONE OTHER FORM OF PROOF IS REQUIRED. IT MUST BE WITHIN 27 MONTHS OF THE ASSESSMENT DATE TO QUALIFY.
Revaluation 2006
Data Mailers
Property owners are asked to review the data we have in our system and verify that it is correct. If there is a discrepancy you should mark it up on the mailer. In either case, please sign and date the survey and mail it back to us as a matter of record. It is always the property owner's responsibility to review their property information and to bring to our attention if there is incorrect information we should address. This is the first step in the revaluation process to assure your property value is based on correct property data.
Income and Expense Statements
Income and expense statements are value informational forms that allow the assessor to consider commercial property income and expenses when determining a value. ALL statements are confidential and not subject to the provisions of section 1-19 (Freedom of Information), of the Connecticut General Statutes. The Assessor requests that all forms be return no later than June 1, 2006 or be subject to a ten percent penalty as sanctioned by the Connecticut legislature. Forms were sent out in March 2006. If you did not receive a form you can contact our office.
Field Inspections
Field inspections are typically performed between April and October each year. During a revaluation year, the duration is extended to verify or update property accounts. If your data mailer comes back to us marked up, it will initiate a field inspection. In addition to data mailer inspections, we inspect building permits issued by the building official and all new construction. Under State Statute 12-62 every property shall be inspected within a ten-year period. This means in Vernon we have until October 1, 2007 to complete this process.
Property Sales
For residential properties, all sales occurring within the last two years are inspected to verify accuracy of property record card data. The most reliable approach to residential property valuation is the Market Approach. The Cost Approach is considered as well especially when the property is relatively new.
Property Value Notices
Once the fieldwork is completed and the statistical analysis completed, the Assessor sends out Notices of Value to all property owners. This typically occurs in late October or early November 2006.
Informal Hearings / Increase Notices / Board of Assessment Appeals
After receiving your property value notice, you should review the information. If you believe that the value is incorrect based on reliable data such as an appraisal or recent sale of a similar neighborhood property, you can call the assessor's office and make an appointment to discus your property's valuation. The assessor will consider the case and make a final judgment at the time the grand list is signed. A final Increase Notice is sent to property owners within ten days of the Assessor signing of the grand list. If you are aggrieved by the actions of the assessor, you may submit a written appeal to the Board Of Assessment no later than March 20, 2007. More information can be obtained by calling our main phone number.