Homeowners pressed appeals board over chronic basement flooding and errors in assessor records

At the April 4 hearings homeowners raised repeated problems with water intrusion, inaccurate assessor photos and neighborhood changes that they say depress market value.

Robert McBride, speaking about 381 Hdens Hill Road, described repeated driveway and basement flooding and produced videos and photos he said showed standing water and interior damage. McBride said the assessor’s field card incorrectly displays a neighboring multimillion‑dollar house rather than his own, and he asked staff to attach his photos and videos to appeal number 477 so deliberating members can review them. “When you see the video…you’re going to be like, how do you sell a property like this?” he said.

Separately, Scott Hirs and realtor James Wood discussed 515 Fairfield Beach Road, noting the home is non‑FEMA compliant, costly to insure and that salt‑water exposure accelerates deterioration; they asked the board to weigh maintenance and insurance burden when considering the appraisal. Wood provided a comparable‑market analysis and told the board he expects a realistic value below the town’s revaluation numbers.

Board staff reiterated the process: deliberations are recorded and appellants will receive a mailed letter with the board’s final number; if unsatisfied, appellants may appeal to the state. Staff encouraged appellants to upload photos, videos and comparable sales to the assessor’s file and to reference their appeal number so the record is complete for deliberation.

Why it matters: flooding and assessor‑record errors can materially affect marketability and assessed values; attachments to the file are evidence the board can use in deliberations.

Next steps: appellants were instructed how to upload media to the assessor’s record and told to include the appeal number for reference; the board will deliberate and mail decisions later in the review cycle.

Provenance: topicintro SEG 2546; topfinish SEG 3111

Speakers: Robert McBride (Resident/appellant), Chrissy Kelly (Alternate), Scott Hirs (Appellant), James Wood (Realtor)

Proper names: [{"name":"Hdens Hill Road","type":"location"},{"name":"Fairfield Beach Road","type":"location"}]

Topics: [{"name":"flood_damage_and_evidence","justification":"Appellants presented video/photo evidence of basement flooding and driveway runoff and reported assessor record errors","scoring":{"topic_relevance":0.93,"depth_score":0.80,"opinionatedness":0.02,"controversy":0.55,"civic_salience":0.78,