By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN

PAWTUCKET — It hasn’t happened in 10 years, but starting within a week or so and continuing through May, data collectors armed with clipboards and measuring tapes will be knocking on doors at homes and businesses and asking to come inside. It’s all part of the full revaluation process that the city is required to do every decade.

The city has hired an outside company, Vision Appraisal Technology, to complete the state-mandated revaluation. Using this data as well as current real estate sales, the reassessment project will establish the market value of all city properties as of Dec. 31, 2008, and will be reflected in the tax bills that are issued in July of 2009. The revaluation process will involve all city property: residential, commercial, industrial and exempt.
Tax Assessor David Quinn said that every three years, the city is required to do a “statistical revaluation,” using data based on the past year’s real estate sales. However, the last full revaluation, in which data collectors record exterior measurements and conduct interior inspections, was done in 1998.
Quinn said that the city had hoped to put off the full revaluation program until next year. However, a legislative bill that would have allowed this extension for Pawtucket and other Rhode Island communities failed passage, prompting a quick scheduling of the revaluation process.
Quinn noted how much real estate values have dropped since the last decade, and even in the past year. However, he stressed that while property owners are likely to see a lower property assessment, it doesn’t mean their taxes will be going down.
The city budget still depends on a certain amount of money coming in, so a so lower assessments will translate to a higher tax rate being set.
“I always like to say, that if everyone pays their fair share of taxes, everyone pays less,” said Quinn. With the revaluation process, he reasoned, “We’re just trying to equalize and have people pay their fair share.”
David Ferreira, of Vision Appraisal Technology, said that the company has taken great care to assure residents that they can feel safe in letting a data collector into their home. All of the data collectors will be carrying identification badges as well as a letter from the Tax Assessor. As an added precaution, he said that all of the data collectors have been given recent background checks by the Pawtucket Police Department, and their vehicles are registered with the police.
The data collectors will be making their visits during the daylight hours, usually ending at around 5 p.m. They typically work from Monday through Friday, and sometimes on Saturdays. If no one answers the door, the homeowner will be issued a letter asking them to call the company and schedule a visit. Evening visits are available by appointment.
The neighborhoods where the data collectors will be working will be announced through the local news media. The collection effort is expected to take until May to complete.
Ferreira said that the main purpose of the home inspection is to make sure that all of the data is correct according to previous records. “We’re looking for basic information: exterior measurements of the house, the type of heating system, the number of bathrooms, etc. If you want an accurate value for your property, you need accurate data,” he said.
Quinn also stressed that it is in the property owner’s best interest to allow the data collector to come inside and get an actual assessment of the property. “Otherwise, we assume everything is in excellent condition, and it will be assessed as such,” he said.
Ferreira and Quinn encourage property owners to visit Vision Appraisal Technology’s web site: www.visionappraisal.com, where they will find additional information about the process as well as the answers to the most frequently asked questions.
Anyone with questions can also call the Tax Assessor’s Office at 728-0500, ext. 212.