Assessor hears multiple property appeals; residents cite noise, flooding and rental-driven price spikes

An assessor’s appeals session on local property valuations heard multiple homeowners challenge 2025 assessments, with appellants pointing to street-level noise, flood damage and investor-driven sales as reasons the valuations should be lowered.

Assessor staff opened each case by administering an oath and collecting affidavits, then reviewed comparable sales and physical-condition photos submitted by property owners. For each appeal the assessor said staff will discuss the evidence at a panel meeting and mail a written decision afterward; appellants were reminded they may pursue the matter in court if they remain dissatisfied.

In one Reef Road appeal, an owner’s representative said the town’s valuation did not account for the property’s position across from a bar and a commercial building, which they said generated noise and nuisance behavior that reduced livability and marketability. The representative provided nearby sales as comparables and asked the assessor to consider a 10–25% busy-street deduction.

At a Fairfield Beach Road case, Stephanie Swan told the panel that buyers buying homes to rent to Fairfield U students have driven local sale prices upward and that several high-priced sales are not indicative of underlying neighborhood demand. She described a small cottage and a tiny lot with a shared driveway and an unfinished barn, and requested that those factors be reflected in the valuation. "These prices are false flags," she told the assessor, arguing investor activity distorts comparables.

At Oakwood Drive, the owner presented photos of a wet basement and rotting beams and argued the land component of his 2025 valuation rose far faster than comparable parcels. He showed calculations that nearby land comps average about $64 per square foot, which would value his 6,250-square-foot lot at roughly $400,000 versus the town’s land valuation of about $886,000, a difference he described as substantial.

The assessor repeatedly described the review process: staff will compile notes from each appearance, consider comparable sales and condition evidence as a group, and issue written findings to appellants after internal deliberation. Staff advised anyone with questions to call the assessor’s office and said decisions should be mailed several days after the panel completes its review of each case.