Town Assessment Data

To Return To Internet

By Andrew Gorosko

Town Assessor Chris Kelsey said this week he expects that the town’s real estate field card database will soon again be posted on the town’s website on the Internet.

An electronic version of the assessor’s set of real estate field cards had been posted by the town on its website until several months ago, when it was removed from service.

Mr Kelsey said this week that the town has hired Vision Appraisal of Northboro, Mass., for appraisal services. The firm was scheduled to be installing field card database software for the town soon, he said.

The assessor said he expects the electronic field card database will be available again on the town’s website by early February.

The database includes various real estate ownership information on all of the real estate in town.

Although Vision Appraisal’s version of the database will not look the same as the previous version, which was provided to the town by Total Valuation Services, LLC, of Waterbury, the Vision Appraisal software will contain the same factual information, Mr Kelsey said.

Total Valuation Services has a lawsuit pending against the town in Waterbury Superior Court, claiming that it has not been fully paid for past services provided to the town. The lawsuit, which was filed last November, is pending in court.

The firm claims the town owes it the final $53,400 payment of a $534,000 contract for past assessment services.

The town contends that tax assessment computer software that Total Valuation Services provided to the town never worked properly, including a feature that is keyed to the town’s geographic information system (GIS) database. Consequently, the town opted against making the final payment to the firm.

Besides the real estate field card database, information from the town’s GIS database eventually will be posted on the Internet.