Upcoming Community Meeting & Reval Information

Hello Friends & Neighbors,

I hope that this note finds you well. Staying warm during these chilly last few weeks.  Spring is in sight - and the days are already getting longer and brighter.

I wanted to share reminders about two upcoming community meetings and address a few questions I've received about the Property Revaluation process & upcoming City budget process.

Let's jump right in:

Upcoming Meetings:

Ward 3 Community Meeting: Monday, February 24th at 7pm on Zoom

Our regular bi-monthly Ward meeting is on Zoom this month. (It is NOT being held at the Rec Center - only on zoom). The link is:  https://providenceri-gov.zoom.us/j/83834420268

The agenda will include:

• Providence Water sharing information and answering questions about the letters many folks received in the mail before the holidays about lead pipes and water infrastructure.

• Nate, the City's Traffic Engineer, discussing proposed permanent speed humps on Camp Street

• Discussion about the proposed 12-unit building planned by the Mount Hope Community Center - we will be joined by Helen from the MHCC

  
  
  
  

  

  
  

Hope to see you there!

Feb 26th at 5:30pm - Ordinance Committee Meeting on Changes to Zoning Code

As I have shared, the City adopted a new Comprehensive Plan this past fall after over a year of outreach, neighborhood meetings, public comment, and several official public hearings in the Ordinance Committee.  You can find the final version & other materials here:  https://www.providenceri.gov/Comp-Plan/​

The next step is to adopt updates to the Zoning Code, to reflect the changes made in the Plan -- the Zoning Code legally needs to follow the Comprehensive Plan. The first set of updates are being heard in the Ordinance Committee on Wednesday, February 26th.  All materials can be found on the City's Open Meetings Portal​.  Testimony is welcome in person and also via email sent to the City Clerk at CityClerk@providenceri.gov

Feb 27th at 5:30pm: Special Committee on Environment & Resiliency

​Come learn about the Providence Tree Plan from the Providence Neighborhood Planting Program staff at our next Special Committee on the Environment and Resiliency. The Committee will discuss ideas to support our urban forest and the benefits that trees provide to the City -- as well as some infrastructure challenges they can pose.

Revaluation of Property Process:

​A number of folks have reached out to ask about the property revaluation process and the letters that property owners have received in the mail about their assessments. I wanted to share some information and details about this process, what it means, and next steps. 

State law requires all municipalities to undergo periodic reviews of the valuation of property. The law requires statistical updates (what we call a "statistical revaluation" - or sometimes "statistical reval") every 3rd and 6th year, and a full revaluation every 9th year. 

The full revaluation involves a physical inspection and measuring of every property to assess its market value. 

The statistical reval does not involve visiting every property. It heavily relies on data, such as real estate sales data. The City hires a company - currently Vision Government Solutions - to perform this revaluation and the statistical analysis. We discussed this during the fall of 2023 in the City's Tax Commission (on which I served), and there are many ways that these type of statistics can be analyzed.  VGS has shared this overview of their process: https://www.vgsi.com/taxpayer-revaluation-information/

Our Tax Assessor prepared an FAQ on this process, which is available here: https://www.providenceri.gov/tax-assessor/questions-answers/

​​Where are we in the Process?​

​Tax Year 2024 was a Statistical Revaluation year, which means that they used the data ending on December 31, 2024 to determine the revaluation of properties. Property owners should have received a letter from the Tax Assessor's office by US Mail. The new assessment figure is at the bottom of the letter. 

I apologize that I did not give you a heads up on the date these would arrive. I was under the impression that they were arriving in March, so planned to share information about this process before they were received -- I learned they were arriving when my own reval came in the mail and then began hearing from residents. 

​Addressing a Few Questions I Have Heard:

1. How can I get a sense of how my property valuation compares with others?​

​Since much of the data is based on real estate sales in your area, a good first step is just some light research. You can compare your property to similar properties sold in your area on Zillow.com. You can compare not only properties in your neighborhood, but also compare characteristics. 

You can also look up the value for other properties in your neighborhood on the Tax Assessor's website. It unfortunately doesn't have characteristic data like Zillow does, but still provides useful comparisons.  https://data.nereval.com/SearchInfo.aspx?town=Providence​

2. What should you do if you think the assessment of your property value is incorrect?​

If you think the value is incorrect, you can contest it and request a hearing through Vision Government Solutions. You need to schedule your hearing either via their online portal (vgsi.com/schedules​) or by phone 888-844-4300​. 

The deadline to schedule an appointment is March 7th.  

3. Will my taxes change at the same rate as my property value change?

The commercial and residential property tax rates are determined during the annual budget cycle. State law puts restrictions on how much the overall tax levy can increase year to year without specific approval by the General Assembly.

So, for example, if your property increased or decreased in value by 35%, this does not equate to an automatic 35% change in your taxes for the next fiscal year. 

4.  When does the budget process take place?

The Mayor presents his proposed budget to the City Council in a public address in mid-April. After that, the Finance Committee - of which I am an active member - thoroughly and transparently reviews the budget over the course of the following months. Once the Finance Committee review process begins, we basically meet every Tuesday and many Wednesday and Thursday evenings through mid-June -- I will share a meeting schedule with you once it's prepared.  Proposed tax structures will be included during this time, and I will share information I have with you when I have it.​  The full Council needs to pass the revised budget twice, and the Mayor needs to sign a final budget by the end of June. 

This will be a challenging budget year. Between the loss of federal recovery funds, uncertainty in the federal government, inflation, and the increased schools budget - this budget process will not be easy.   I am also always open to talking with constituents about the budget and encourage active participation in the public hearings once they are scheduled. 

Thank you to everyone who reached out. I know these processes can be confusing and concerning. I want to make sure I am being transparent with you about the decisionmaking processes and how to participate. I am so honored to be able to serve you - especially during difficult times like these. 

With Gratitude, 

Sue AnderBois, Councilor, Ward 3

Deputy Majority Whip

Providence City Council