Homeowners contest sharp assessment increases at Fairfield Board of Assessment Appeals

Chrissy Kelly, an alternate on the Board of Assessment Appeals, heard a full day of property-assessment appeals on March 4 in Fairfield as homeowners pressed the board over steep increases and the way the town’s valuation model treats recent sales and permitted improvements.

Several appellants told the board their assessments rose far more than neighbors’ and presented appraisals, photos and comparable sales. "My property has been assessed double what it's normally," said Linda G., owner of 102 James Street, describing cracked ceilings, foundation and pest problems and asking the board to consider interior and exterior photos she planned to submit. Kelly told residents that photos and third‑party appraisals were "helpful" and that she would add submitted material to each file before deliberations.

In one contested case, an appellant identified as Tyler said the percentage increase applied to his property was an outlier compared with nearby comparables and "the jump up 67 in that short period didn't seem reasonable." The board's alternate said she would present those comparables during the group's deliberations.

At 915 Old Post Road, homeowner Samantha Pattinson argued that a 2021 sale (she said it sold for $2,225,000) and her 2024 purchase (she cited $2,600,000) both already reflected major permitted improvements, including a fiberglass plunge pool, and warned the assessment model risked "double counting" such improvements if it used permit data on top of sale evidence. "If the 2021 sale price already included the pool," she said, "there is a risk of double counting." Kelly acknowledged the point and accepted Pattinson’s written statement and supporting sales data for the record.

Another appellant, Jeff Smith of 208 Sturgis Road, a certified residential appraiser, pressed the board on the land component of his assessment. Smith said the town had valued his lot at $1,094,100 while his appraisal and comparable teardown sales suggested a land value closer to about $800,000. "The town has my lot appraised for $1,094,100," Smith said, describing traffic and other neighborhood‑level adjustments that he said should lower his land value. Kelly said she would include that appraisal and the lot comparables in the board's packet for deliberations.

Throughout the hearing Kelly explained process details: hearings are being heard first‑in, first‑out; the board expects to begin deliberations later in March and issue decisions, mailed to property owners, in early April; and the deliberations will be recorded and posted so appellants can listen to the board's rationale. Kelly also reminded appellants that if they remain dissatisfied after the board’s decision, they may appeal to the state review authority.

No formal votes or decisions were recorded during the March 4 hearing. Kelly said she would present each appellant’s submitted evidence to the full board during deliberations.

What happens next: the board will add submitted photos, appraisals and written statements to each file, deliberate in the coming weeks and mail decisions to property owners; appellants retain the option to seek state review after the board issues its determinations.