Key Takeaways from the Revaluation Meeting

On Wednesday, November 19, 2025, Stafford’s Community Center saw more action than it’s used to, with a nearly full house for the informational meeting about the revaluation assessments. 

Assessor Tami Rossi and the project manager for Stafford’s revaluation, Brandy Landry from Vision Government Solutions, explained the reasons for and the process of revaluations. They also explained that the state employs performance-based testing to validate the results of the revaluations. Of course, explaining complicated mathematical models rarely goes over well with a crowd.

Rossi gave real-world examples of homes bought and sold over the past five years. For instance, a two-story house built in 1895 and set on one acre sold for $170,000 in 2020. In January of 2025, the same house sold for $330,000, a 94% increase. A two-bedroom condo’s sale price increased by 164%. 

When the presentation was over, a long line of mostly angry taxpayers got up to ask questions and make comments. Most commenters did not give their names, but the majority expressed the same general sentiments: They don’t believe their homes are worth as much as assessments say they are, and they are worried about how these revaluations will impact their taxes. 

While some commenters seemed eager to get answers and were willing to accept them, others just wanted to vent. No answer could satisfy those angry about “stats from Washington D.C.” or, conversely, those who used national statistics to call into question the validity of the calculations based on local data. One woman said it was her opinion that because the dollar had lost value, it takes more money to buy a house. “I truly hope the whole system tanks,” she said.

But it was also clear that many did not understand how Mill Rates are set – one woman actually asked for an explanation – or how they relate to property values and figure into taxes. One man said that when the real estate bubble bursts, “you won’t give back our taxes.” (Skip straight to the Mill Rate section to understand why this statement doesn’t quite add up.) 

So, instead of rehashing all the comments, let’s dive into the key takeaways from the meeting.

The basics

• Revaluations are mandated by the state and are designed to take a snapshot of property values at a specific moment in time. That snapshot is taken on October 1 every five years.

• Here’s one for the more conspiracy-minded among you who think the timing of the notices is suspicious: Because local real estate sales data is used to create a model applied to all homes, the assessor’s office has to wait until all data through September 31 is in. Much of the work happens throughout October. That’s why revaluation notices don’t go out until the first week of November. A third party sends out the notices, and some people are only just now getting their revaluations in the mail. 

• Suppose you genuinely believe your assessment is wrong. In that case, there is an appeals process that starts with an informal hearing with Vision, moves on to the Board of Assessment Appeals, and, if you still don’t agree with the decision, can be taken to Superior Court. Informal hearings are available until December 21, so you need to get the process started sooner rather than later. (Consult your revaluation notice for more information.)

  
  

Do not apply the current Mill Rate to your assessment 

I repeat, “Do not apply the current rate to your assessment.” Why? Well, first you have to understand how and when a Mill Rate is set.

Mill Rates are a direct reflection of a town’s grand list. The bigger the grand list, the lower the Mill Rate can be. For instance, the 2025-2026 Mill Rate in Greenwich, CT is 12.041. In Stafford, it is 38.59. Does that mean people in Greenwich are paying less in taxes than people in Stafford? Absolutely not.

When the Greenwich Times reported the Mill Rate, they used the following example to help locals understand how it will impact them: “The mill rate represents the amount of tax payable for every $1,000 of a property's assessed value. So a home with an assessed value of $2.1 million would pay $25,286 in taxes under the upcoming mill rate.” According to Zillow, the typical home value in Greenwich is $2,124,027 (As of today). As we reported last week, the average sale price of a single-family home in Stafford in 2025 was $341,158 – nowhere near $2.1 million. So, it should be clear that a lower Mill Rate does not always equal lower taxes.

How to calculate a Mill Rate

A Mill Rate is calculated by dividing the total revenue a municipality needs to raise from property taxes (also known as the Grand Levy) by the total assessed value of all taxable property (the Grand List), then multiplying by 1,000. 

If a Grand List grows but the Grand Levy stays relatively the same, the Mill Rate will go down. In fact, the Grand Levy could go up and the Mill Rate could still go down as long as the Grand List goes up enough. That does not mean your taxes will go down; it only means they will not increase as much as you currently fear.

Stafford’s 2026-2027 Mill Rate will be set only after a new budget is approved. In addition to real estate, motor vehicles and personal property figure into the Grand List, and those are not yet calculated. It should be finalized in January; last year, the Grand List was over $888,000,000. (It’s also worth noting that in Fiscal year 2025-2026, the Mill Rate stayed the same, and the budget actually decreased.) 

Get involved in the budget process

The bottom line is that no one will know how the revaluations could impact their taxes until after a budget is proposed and then approved. Dave Walsh encouraged people upset about the revaluations and worried about their taxes to attend budget meetings. “Every person who thinks we’re being robbed should show up,” Walsh said. “You have to participate to make this work.” 

With that sentiment in mind, the Board of Finance typically meets on the first Monday of the month. The Board of Selectmen meets on the first Wednesday of the month. You can see the schedule here. We also post agendas and reminders on the Stafford Free Press Facebook page.