CLAREMONT — No one has filed to serve on the three-member Board of Assessors that was created by the City Council last March after a number of residents were angered with a prior abatement decision.
The positions for the board, which would “decide upon appeals from assessments (abatements) and sign all abatement forms pursuant to” state law, the ordinance states, were first posted along with other vacancies on city boards and commissions in April. For now the abatement process remains in the hands of the assessor.
Former Assessor Joe Lessard, who served on a contracted basis, drew criticism last year when he abated $220,000 in back taxes on the old Topstone mill building and reduced the former mill building’s assessment by 75 percent.
Current interim Assessor Stephan Hamilton, who was hired in December, also on a contracted basis, said last week he contacted a number of people who were recommended to him to see if they were interested in serving on the Board of Assessors.
“Many were concerned with possible conflicts with their jobs,” Hamilton said.
Eventually, he said three expressed “genuine” interest but never applied.
The ordinance passed by the council list qualifications that include “education or experience in assessing, finance, real estate sales and/or appraisal and/or construction.” Members would also have to complete and pass the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration State Statute course, parts I and 2 within the first two years of service on the board. The city would pay the cost of the courses.
Hamilton acknowledged the background and required education narrows the field of eligible applicants living in the city.
“It is not the kind of knowledge most people have,” he said.
“I made appeals to people because this is a great opportunity to not only help out the city but also to have a really important role in making sure assessments are fair and people are getting a fair shake in the abatement process,” Hamilton said.
Last September, the council learned, through the public, that Lessard, the contracted assessor at the time, abated $220,000 in taxes on the Topstone building at 101 Mulberry St., and reduced the building’s assessment from $670,000 to $175,000. (It is currently assessed at $186,700). A number of residents publicly criticized the decision with some even demanding it be reversed.
The council had discussed tax deeding the property the last few years but always decided against that action because of the undetermined extent of contamination around the property. The five-story brick building is mostly vacant but does have business tenants on the first floor, including City Councilor Nick Koloski’s restaurant.
Former City Manager Ryan McNutt, who was not involved in Lessard’s decision but was informed of it, defended the tax abatement, saying it was the best opportunity to allow the owner to invest in the property and make improvements.
“The best way for the city to start to see new taxes paid, and eventually higher values, is to recognize this thing was not going anywhere burdened by the pervious values,” McNutt, who would later blame his firing in January of this year on the Topstone issue, said in a memo to the council. “Now either the current owner, or a new owner, can begin to find options for funding to undertake any development.”
The council, under pressure from some residents who demanded a change in the process so a decision like the Topstone one would be made with the public’s knowledge, took action.
“The way this unfolded tells me we have issues with the processes and they need to be improved,” Mayor Charlene Lovett said during a meeting last September.
Hamilton said when he served on the Board of Assessors in Laconia, N.H., that board met about seven months out of the year for about 2½ hours a month. The city has been searching for a full-time assessor for several months.
The city recently completed a reassessment of all properties and Hamilton said when tax bills arrive later this fall property owners can file for abatement until March 1.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
