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TOWN OF MONTEREY
Board of Assessors
435 Main Rd., P.O. Box 448
Monterey MA 01245
MEETING MINUTES, 9/23/06
The meeting was called to order by Stan Ross at 9:30 AM. Bob Gauthier, Bob Lazzarini, Don Clauson and Linda Hamil were present.
1. The Remapping of Monterey by Cartographic Assoc. The digital maps of Monterey prepared by Cartographic Assoc. have been received. As part of their service, Cartographics Assoc. determined the size of each real estate parcel to the nearest 1/1000 acre using the best available data (original deeds & GIS mapping). These new sizes differed from the old ones in about 80% of the cases – most often the discrepancy was small, but sometimes on the order of a few acres. The new maps also differ from the old ones in that they assign a 16 digit identification number to each real estate parcel, rather than the old map and lot numbers. Don Clauson announced that the first two parts of integrating the new map data into our existing data base -- changing all of the parcel
ID numbers to the new ones and correcting all of the parcel sizes – was complete. Patriot Properties, Inc. changed the parcel ID numbers for us. Unfortunately we had to adjust the parcel sizes to the new ones manually. There were a few cases where we had to go back to Cartographics Assoc. for a resolution of the parcel size differences.
2. Assessment of Lake Frontage. Monterey increases the assessed value of parcels having frontage on Lake Garfield by $1,900./lakefront foot ; on Lake Buel by $1800./ lakefront foot; and on Stevens Pond by $1000./lakefront foot. In the past, parcels fronting on waterways connecting to the lakes (the channels in Lake Garfield and Lake Buel, the entrance to Peppermint Brook) were assessed arbitrarily and often in inconsistent ways. On 9/18/06 the Assessors and Ass’t Assessor made a field trip to study the relevant lake sites. After much discussion at this meeting, a consensus policy decision was achieved: the parcels fronting on waterways adjoining the lakes would be assessed $475. /waterfront foot if they fronted on portions of the waterway that were
navigable with a small boat. If they fronted on portions that weren’t navigable with a small boat there would be no additional assessment. The Assessors will mark the transition points between lakes, navigable waterways and un-navigable waterways on the new maps. As earlier, parcels that front on small steams such as the Konkapot River, Rawson Brook, upper Peppermint Brook, Harmon Brook and Swann Brook will not be assessed for those water features.
3. Other Land Value Modifiers and Adjustments. The Assessors’ data base is a complete description of each parcel of land and includes a list of value-enhancing (e.g., water frontage, view, road frontage) and value depreciating factors (e.g., wetlands, bad topology, slope, non-buildable lot size, other). These modifying factors have accumulated over the years and often are incompletely defined or of questionable validity. Consequently, the assessors decided at this meeting to re-evaluate all cases where the property value modifiers have been employed. This will involve site-visiting 356 properties over the course of about a year. We will first investigate the modifier “Other”, a term used is used without further explanation.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:00 AM.
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