A Pathetic Mea Culpa

On September 24, 2024, the Board of Alderman meeting opened a conversation regarding the new “surprise” assessments received by property owners that weekend. The Mayor explained that properties throughout the City had increased but had no hard data to support his numbers.

Congratulating homeowners on their average 20% increases in their assessed values to highlight their property wealth missed the mark on property owners’ concerns with understanding how their December tax bill will change. It seemed more of a paradox than a reality. How many homeowners feel financially free? The Mayor stated, “Over the long run, that is going to have a very significant positive impact on many, many people who own property in the city.”

Having your home value assessment increase may be nice, but if you can’t capitalize on it, have no place to move, are deciding your next move, or are paying higher taxes and increases in everything else the economy is throwing down, it feels more like a financial drain, then a wealth asset.

Once again, the Mayor blames the DRA. “Now, these revaluations are required by the State of New Hampshire, so this isn’t something that we can forego, although we would like to do so.” The Mayor could have forgone the update as the DRA does not require 2-year revaluations.

Here Is What We Do Know

The Mayor signed the Vision 2024 statistical update contract, which requires City leaders to review and approve the letters and release date (section 2.5). Municipal Assessing Officials (Tim Cummings) were to receive, before the homeowner letters release, a list of the newly established values, a preliminary value analysis with a copy delivered to the DRA, and the information review schedule before the letter goes out (section 3.6). The contract states that Vision and City Officials “shall use their best efforts to promote full cooperation and amiable relations with taxpayers.”

The mailed letters were to contain the owner’s newly established value of their property along with identifying two public places within the Municipality where a list of all newly established values for the entire City could be found. Additionally, the letter shall contain instructions for the appeal process pursuant to RSA 76:16, 76:16-a, and 76:17. Should you schedule an informal hearing, Vision will provide a market analysis related to their new values. Informational packets were available when the initial assessment values were mailed in 2018 and 2022.

The public is riled up because the City and Vision did not follow the contract. Property owners were ambushed by updated assessment letters. They provided no data to interpret the increases, failed to write the location of all property assessment data in the letter, and failed to cite the RSA for abatement and appeals. How could people not be riled up? And as far as “rush to judgment,” there was no comparative data to form any informed conclusions which created frustration. Hiring Vision to perform the update does not relieve the City from its contractual responsibilities to oversee the project and know what’s going on.

Public Comment

Several board members expressed their views on the new assessment numbers. Aldermen Moran stated, “I think I would say that we should handle it with grace.” So there’s fear there for folks who need our grace right now. We need to help guide them to the appropriate folks but we should be mindful that yes, I live in a million-dollar home. I won’t notice. I won’t notice paying more taxes.” “One of my receptionist was homeless is getting into the NeighborWorks apartments downtown. I pay her $19.50 an hour. I thought that was a great rate. I had to give her a 50 cent raise in order to qualify for low income housing right here.” “People are entitled to feel upset and they’re entitled to feel like me that my home value went up.”

Aldermen Gouvieu spoke next and stated, “I’ll tell you on Saturday when those hit the mail, there was a lot of surprises in Ward 1. Been on the Board three years now. This was easily the single most contacted me issue I’ve ever had to deal with. Between phone calls and emails, it has been almost nonstop.” “We never had an official communication with the Board that this was going on.” … I mean, I look at my situation. For a wife who works in City Hall, it’s getting awfully tough to live in the city. With assessment values going up, taxes going up, finances are tight.” “I just feel there was a big lack of communication, and that hurt a lot of people.”

Aldermen Thibeault stated, “I think my biggest problem was getting it on Saturday and not being able to really talk to anyone about it until Monday really. You know, I mean I think, I’m guessing that the Mayor knew they were going out but didn’t know they were going out right now. We were going to get them on Saturday and I assume that even Director Cummings didn’t know that….One thing we shouldn’t do is get them riled up without explaining what’s going on.”

Ms. Klee’s comments, “In speaking about the revals, I, too, along with my I’m sure all of my colleagues and but I think my colleague from Ward 1 put it best, was inundated with calls and also reached out to my constituents. We didn’t know that they were coming out. It would have been nice to have had the notice but I don’t think anybody from the city knew it as well that these were coming out.”

During public comment two senior citizens spoke. “All I’d like to know is you all knew that this was coming down this year earlier than we did. I didn’t know anything about it until I got my mail on Saturday. It would have been I consider to be more humanistic or kind for the people, the residents of the city to know as they did two years ago with the revaluation that we had in 2022. That was mentioned in The Telegraph. It was mentioned in the Eagle Tribune, many other places, people were talking about it.” The speaker explained a sad and shocking story of the passing of her husband. She stated, “Well, I’d just like to know in the future wouldn’t it be a kind and considerate thing to let the people of Nashua know when it’s going to be a difference in their value of their home because in the end, we pay for that.”

The second speaker stated, “I think this is no way to treat the taxpayers of Nashua at all. Our electric has gone up, our water has gone up, our gas has gone up, our insurance for our houses have gone up. Food is astronomical. It’s coming to the point where what bill do I pay? Do I eat this week? What do I buy? In our area, we’re all in the same boat. I have medical bills for my husband each month and they vary. Could be $500 could be $400. ..I am a caregiver for six and a half years with not a day off and I don’t know how I’m paying these medical bills each month. It’s awful to be treated this way. It’s a total lack of respect on all your parts and you should be ashamed of yourself.”

After the public spoke, BOA members chimed in again. Ms. Klee expressed empathy and understood the anger and anxiety. She is wrong to tell property owners to wait and see. There is no reason for us to be in the complete dark.

Alderman Thibeault offered his perspective—don’t blame us—which showed a total lack of leadership and empathy for the public.

Aldermen Clemons missed the mark as well. “So in regards to the revaluation, I just wanted to offer my perspective and that is not to rush the judgment on it yet because essentially, we’ve known for a while that the housing market has continued to rise. Values have continued to go up in the New England areas as well as across the country but in particular….”

City leaders should have shouldered the blame and corrected the problem. Waiting for the tax bills on December 1, 2024 and giving property owners 30 days to pay an unexpected, unbudgeted bill lacks leadership, empathy and sincerity.