Recently, the Nashua Assessing Office upgraded its software and uploaded new 2019 property record cards (PRC’s) for the public to access online. Unfortunately, the data from the old software doesn’t seem to have transferred to the correct fields in the new software and property cards are incorrect.
This is a PRC from the North End.
The circled data is the problem.
Two weeks ago (the 2018 card above), this building had square footage of 3,357, and today, it is 3,037 (the card below).
The wrap-around farmer’s porch was dropped from 332 sq. ft to 15 sq. ft, but the farmer’s porch did not change. A patio on the home is missing altogether. Considering all these discrepancies, the assessed property value remains the same for both cards: $415,600.
When property cards fail to contain the correct information, there are large implications for both individual homeowners as well as all homeowners in Nashua. Here’s why:
- Errors in data create assessment and tax inequity in the community. We will not all pay our fair share – some will pay more than they should while others will pay less.
- These cards are the baseline data used for homeowner abatements. If the property card data is wrong, the basis for judging your abatement claim will be faulty.
- Property owners will not be able to judge if their assessments are fair within their neighborhoods if the data on the PRC is incorrect. Here the basis for comparison is faulty.
The integrity of the assessing data in the department cannot be trusted. Where is the quality control? I hope the incoming Chief Assessor is ready to roll their sleeves up and do the work the city needs. Here’s to a 2020 above and beyond the mediocrity of 2019.
