City of Worcester, MA

Triennial Revaluation Process Update

For Immediate Release: 1/31/2012 2:15 pm

Worcester, MA (January 31, 2012) - The City of Worcester has completed the data collection and analysis phase on all 48,000 real estate parcels in the City. Independent and City assessors inspected and reviewed each and every residential and commercial property; all of the data compiled from these reviews has been entered and recorded into the City's new assessment system (Vision), and verified for accuracy and consistency. The following provides the detail of the thoroughness of this phase:

1. City assessors first inspected all 48,000 parcels with the use of state-of-the-art technology. This technology created a clear, three-sided image for all 48,000 parcels on a computer for assessors to review and gather property data. Assessors compared all this data with existing property records and updated information accordingly, if this "virtual" inspection revealed changes.
2. City and independent assessors then conducted physical inspections on properties (specifically for new construction/additions; at a property owner's request; and/or when the virtual review did not provide enough of a visual for an assessor to make a determination).
3. An independent firm was concurrently retained to conduct a data quality and reliability study, in which the firm field-sampled data from these inspected properties to compare against the data that had been entered into the property record. These results were then reported back to Department of Revenue (DOR).
4. Finally, we contracted an appraisal company to conduct "full field reviews" on all 48,000 residential and commercial properties for review of quality and consistency of the data that had been entered into the records for the entire inventory of parcels. This review included drive-by exterior inspections; checking for specific features of the land and the buildings that contribute to a property's value (e.g., size, type, quality of construction, condition), and if warranted, on-site or interior inspections.

This phase of work is complete. The DOR is now in the process of performing its own Data Quality Study, similar to ours, in which their representatives will field verify sample data from inspected properties and compare this data with what has been entered into the City's assessment system.

As stated before, this is the most comprehensive review of the City's 48,000 real estate parcels in over 30-plus years. The collection and maintenance of current and accurate property data is a critical element in the development of uniform, fair market values. Our values are recertified by the DOR every three years as has been the case through the last revaluation year of 2008. State regulation requires that we also field review these 48,000 parcels, including tax-exempt parcels, at least once in a 9 year rolling cycle. It is evident from this comprehensive effort that we have undertaken that this was not always the case, and in some circumstances, properties may not have been field reviewed in more than 25-30 years.

For complete details and information related to the entire Triennial Revaluation process, please visit the Assessor's Triennial Revaluation Webpage.