For immediate release: June 17, 2024
Contact: City Assessor Philip Drew
Telephone: 207-992-4211
Email: phil.drew@bangormaine.gov
Third and final public forum scheduled for this week on citywide revaluation
BANGOR, Maine – The third and final public informational session on the two-year, citywide revaluation is scheduled for Thursday, June 20, beginning at 6 p.m.
The first informational session was held at Downeast School in May, the second session was held earlier in June at the William S. Cohen School and the final session on Thursday will be held virtually. Residents can join the meeting remotely through this Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83476874960
While Thursday is the last scheduled informational session on the revaluation, residents with any questions or concerns on the topic are encouraged to contact City Hall. City Assessor Philip Drew can be reached at 207-992-4211 or phil.drew@bangormaine.gov. People can also contact the City's communications manager, David Warren, at 207-992-4204 or david.warren@bangormaine.gov.
The City this month begins a revaluation project that will appraise more than 11,000 real estate parcels in Bangor in an effort to establish more equitable property values for all classes of property: residential, commercial, land and other types.
The project is necessary because the last citywide revaluation was conducted in 1987. In addition to establishing more equitable valuations across all properties, a revaluation ensures that accurate property data is collected. The public’s participation in this project will help ensure that data is accurate. A primary goal of the project will be to correct disproportionate taxation by valuing all property at fair market value as of April 1, 2026.
Maine State law requires that municipalities perform a revaluation whenever the ratio of assessment to sales price drops below 70 percent. The City right now is narrowly meeting Maine’s minimum assessing standards, in part because it’s relying on property data that in some cases date back to the 1980s.
City Assessor Drew spoke to the City Council’s Government Operations Committee in August 2023 about the need for a citywide revaluation, and provided further updates during a Council Workshop on May 13.
The City has contracted with KRT Appraisal to conduct the revaluation and data collectors with that firm will identify themselves to property owners and carry appropriate identification. Their vehicles will be marked with an “Assessor’s Office” magnet. Notices will be sent to residents a couple of weeks in advance that provide an approximate date for when KRT will be in their neighborhood. KRT Appraisal’s website, www.krtappraisal.com, also will have a timeline for residents.
KRT will knock on all doors where it’s conducting an inspection, and any property without an inspection will receive a letter requesting a call for an appointment. Representatives with KRT will only enter a home or property if an adult is present.
In addition to property owners, tenants also should be aware that data collectors will be knocking on their doors for an inspection, which generally doesn’t take long.
For answers to questions that are often asked about revaluations, please follow this link to the webpage for the City Assessing Department.
###
The City of Bangor, Maine, is a service center community of 31,753 residents and is the county seat of Penobscot County. Bangor is the major commercial and cultural center for much of northern and eastern Maine. The City is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. For information on City projects and news, see www.bangormaine.gov.