Assessing Division

COVID-19 Impact on Assessments

While the COVID-19 crisis has severely impacted unemployment and certain businesses, it is unclear what effect it will have on the market for real estate. Because assessments are retrospective, any abatement due to overvaluation filed in FY2021 must be based on the analysis of market conditions that occured in 2019 or an actual error in data and not on the COVID-19 impact. Over this next year, assessors will be monitoring the real estate market and see its impact on sales and investment properties in preparation for assessments for FY2022.

The Assessors Office is responsible for the determination of the fair market value of all real and personal property within the Town of Auburn, and the administration of all laws relative to taxation as outlined in the Massachusetts General Laws.

The Office of the Assessors oversees the administration of real estate tax exemptions and abatements, and committing and processing motor vehicle excise and trash billing including the processing of exemptions and abatements. We provide assistance to taxpayers, lawyers and real estate professionals, both in person and by phone, for questions and problems related to the appraisal of property, tax billing information, and property ownership. We are also responsible for the maintenance of the town assessing maps and Geographic Information System (GIS) data layers.

Board of Assessors

The Board of Assessors is overseen in the administration of these laws by the Department of Revenue. To meet these requirements the Board are obligated to value all properties annually, and every three years must undergo a complete certification audit. The Board is also responsible for compiling and submitting the data required for setting the tax rate on an annual basis for approval by the Department of Revenue.

Documents

  1. 2018 Classification Presentation (PDF)
  2. Change of Address Form (PDF)
  1. Fiscal 2023 Real Estate Values (PDF)

  1. Every record that is made or received by a government entity or employee is presumed to be a public record unless a specific statutory exemption permits or requires it to be withheld in whole or in part. A list of exemptions may be found at Chapter 4, Section 7(26) of the Massachusetts General Laws. For more information, follow this link: http://www.sec.state.ma.us/pre/preinformation.htm