This past Saturday, property owners were taken aback by the unexpected arrival of letters announcing new 2024 statistical citywide assessments. The suddenness of this news, even catching our elected Alderman off guard, sparked a wave of surprise and concern that reverberated across social media for two days, with nearly 1000 posts.
Why is this so concerning? Property owners equate assessments with tax bills and generally believe their tax bills tend to rise in this city. Their belief is justified. Unfortunately, the letter did not provide any information to alleviate the fear of the unknown. Property owners were left with no tools to discern these new numbers’ implications, leaving them uncertain.
In August 2023, the Board of Alderman received two communications in their board packets relative to contracts with Vision Government Solutions to update our assessment data cyclically. While the Mayor and Mr. Cummings presented these communications to the board, they failed to state that a new update would be done in 2024. Twenty-twenty-three was an election year. This was a critical piece of information that should have been made public.
When a City sends out new assessment letters to all property owners, the most essential information is the assessment data on your neighborhood and the sales data used to generate the model. Mr. Cummings and the Mayor did not make this data available to the public. The letters did not provide a brief overview of the average residential increase and how various property home styles changed. There was no way for owners to understand the comparative nature of their new assessments.
Director Cummings is paid $160,000 annually and oversees the assessing office. Months ago, he should have held a meeting with the BOA and invited a Vision Consultant to explain the process of these new updates and local real estate trends. The Mayor and Mr. Cummings should have encouraged board members who send newsletters out to their wards, and many of them do, to get their Wards up to speed on this critical initiative. City leaders opted for the ambush.
These values are based on computer models driven by actual home sales within the city. Models are only sometimes correct. One challenging area is determining a home’s condition. Go online and look at the MLS listing and photographs of those homes to understand their comparative nature to yours. Print your property record card and check the features to match your home.
It’s clear that Mr. Cummings does not believe in transparency. A July 24, 2024 court order regarding the downtown barriers and a June 30, 2023 Court order addressing his actions with new market tax credit city projects illustrate that he’s a game player. He manipulates and uses hyperbole, omissions, and misrepresentations when communicating – a page he has taken from the book of city attorneys. His residence is outside of Boston. Property taxes are no big deal in Massachusetts, but they are our primary revenue source in New Hampshire. It’s high time we demand more transparency and honesty from our city leaders. It may be time to return Mr. Cummings to Massachusetts, where his deception and double-speak will be welcomed.
