The fallout from last year’s property assessment errors continues to reverberate as residents voiced their frustrations at Thursday’s Board of Assessors meeting.
The meeting came months after the discovery of significant issues with the 2023 property valuations, which led to a surge in abatement requests and approximately $541,000 in refund checks.
Meanwhile, Town Assessor Karen Bertolino remains on paid administrative leave, costing taxpayers approximately $37,554.60 since early March, according to salaries provided by the town.
Marion Ferris, a longtime Marblehead resident, didn’t mince words when addressing the board on July 25.
“This assessor has cost taxpayers an awful lot of money,” Ferris said.
Ferris expressed disbelief at what she called a lack of oversight in the assessment process.
“I cannot believe that you allow one person to handle this,” she said. “Even our federal government has three branches. A president can’t just willy-nilly do something.”
Board of Assessors Chair John Kelley countered that there is oversight, explaining that the Massachusetts Department of Revenue reviews the assessors’ methodology for setting valuations. The Massachusetts Department of Revenue reviews how they analyze and assess home sales to make sure everything is done accurately and fairly
However, Kelley acknowledged that when applied to the entire town, “it didn’t work, many areas didn’t work.”
The controversy stems from adjustments made to the most recent land value tables, which are tools assessors use to set property values across different neighborhoods or areas of a town. These tables help ensure that similar plots of land in the same area are valued consistently, taking into account factors like location, size, and local amenities.
“The initial focus on adjusting land values significantly not only created potential inequity amongst various neighborhoods but required nonsensical adjustments to building cost,” wrote independent consultant Jim Doherty in a report to the Board of Assessors.
Elizabeth Ayer, also of Marblehead, shared her personal struggle with understanding the assessment process and its impact on her two properties in the historic district.
“I’m definitely in the senior area [of life],” said Ayer, who will turn 75 in November. “That’s one of my frustrations I have to say in this whole process is to realize how clueless I was.”
Ayer’s comments highlighted a common theme among residents: confusion about the assessment process and a desire for more accessible information.
Ayer’s concerns about the assessments are compounded by her personal circumstances. Her husband, Jim Ayer, 90, recently moved into assisted living at John Bertram House.
“His monthly bill at Bertram is averaging $15,000 a month,” Ayer said, highlighting the financial strain on their household.
This has left Ayer, who now lives alone in their High Street home, particularly sensitive to any increases in property taxes. She emphasized that while they have been fortunate in the past, she’s now “on a budget” and carefully watching her expenses.
Jonathan Lederman, who joined the Board of Assessors in June, attempted to clarify some of the confusion surrounding the abatement process.
“For people whose assessments are high and want to file for abatement, the deadline for that is Feb. 1,” Lederman explained.
He added that the board is working to fix the entire database to prevent similar issues in the future. The board has commissioned Patriot Properties to start a complete reassessment this summer, with preliminary assessments expected to be available for public comment this fall.
The board members acknowledged the communication gap and indicated they are working on ways to improve transparency and public outreach.
“We should get you a copy of that letter,” Lederman told Ayer, referring to a recently published explanation of the assessment issues and corrective actions.
