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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Board of Civil Authority - 10/16/2021 - Morning sessionBOARD OF CIVIL AUTHORITY 9:00 AM 16 OCTOBER 2021 The South Burlington Board of Civil Authority held a meeting on Saturday, 16 October 2021, at 9 a.m., in the conference room, City Hall, 180 Market Street. Members Present: C. Shaw, Chair; D. Kinville, C. Trombly, B. Nowak, M. St. Germain, C. Callea, M. Emery, K. Nugent, Sen. T. Chittenden Also Present: M. Lyons, City Assessor; C. Wool, B. & N. Jacobus, Ms. Badger, E. Delfoe, M. Patane, B. Grabowski, T. Ciardelli 1. Review evacuation plans in case of an emergency. Ms. Kinville reviewed emergency plans. Mr. Shaw noted that the wearing of masks is encouraged in City Hall. 2. Comments and questions from the public not related to the agenda: No comments or questions were presented. 3. Any change to the order of the agenda: No changes were made to the agenda. 4. BCA oath administered: Ms. Kinville administered the oath to Board members. 5. Hear Appeal from: Mr. Shaw explained the appeals process. 6. Clare & Sam Wool 51 Van Sicklen Road Ms. Wool said their home is an 1815 historic home in a heavily trafficked area. She testified that a new curb cut for Cider Mill 2 will negate the value of this property and will cause more traffic on Van Sicklen Rd. Ms. Wool said their assessment went from $426,600 to $956,400. Mr. Shaw asked how many buildings are on the property. Ms. Wool said there is the house, and there are 4 barns/sheds. Two acres of the property is for housing, but there is an additional 8+ acres. Ms. Callea asked what Ms. Wool felt was a fair assessment. Ms. Wool said $850,000. She noted they have to keep the “aesthetic value” of the property because of its historical nature. The property also has no development right as the previous owner sold those rights. Ms. Wool then presented a list of comparable properties. BOARD OF CIVIL AUTHORITY 16 OCTOBER 2021 (am) PAGE 2 Ms. Lyons said that the property has a good/excellent quality rating. It has partially finished basement. She then presented 3 comparables 51 Van Sicklen (this property) which sold to the current owners for a time adjusted price of $1,242,120; 363 Golf Course Road which sold for a time adjusted sales price of $927,651; and 63 Golf Course Road which has a time adjusted sales price of $862,932. Based on those figures, Ms. Lyons said she felt that the appellants’ property is fairly assessed at $956,400. Ms. Wool said the barns have no value, and the 5 fireplaces in the house are unusable. She questioned the quality rating of good/excellent. Mr. Shaw asked whether there is a record of who bought the development rights. Ms. Lyons said Planning & Zoning would have that. Testimony was then closed. An inspection team of Ms. Emery, Ms. Nugent, and Sen. Chittenden was assigned to view the property at 11:30 this morning. The appeal was continued to 21 October at 6 p.m. b. Joe & Julie Patrissi 56 Economou Farm Road Ms. Kinville advised that this appeal has been withdrawn. c. Nancy & Bill Jacobus 130 Economou Farm Road Mr. Jacobus noted he is also president of the homeowners’ association, and is very familiar with all of the golf course properties. Mr. Jacobus said they were very upset at the magnitude of the increase. Appraisals went up 40%, and tax bills went up 13%. He said that in looking at sales, he found 99 sales of condos, 1/3 of which fell within the general window of appraisal increases. Only 2 of the Fairway properties fell within that window. Mr. Jacobus said that Fairway I and Fairway II were done by the same builder and questioned why Fairway I has an average condition rating and Fairway II has a good rating. He added that if he plugs in the assumptions for Fairway I, he gets a value for his home of $581,000 instead of the $633,500 they actually got. Mr. Jacobus also noted a sale in 2020 in their development at $580,000, and that unit has more square feet and is in a better location than the Jacobus unit. Unit 79 in Fairway II sold for $662,364. It has a custom interior, dual zone heating, and is on the golf course. BOARD OF CIVIL AUTHORITY 16 OCTOBER 2021 am PAGE 3 Mr. Jacobus said he felt his property has a fair value of $575,000. Mr. Jacobus said he is also bothered that there are very large units in Ironwood that had reduced assessments and are appraised at $100,000 less than recent sale prices. Ms. Lyons said the Jacobus property is of average quality with a partially finished basement. She presented three comparables: #79 Economou Farm Road sold for a time adjusted price of $678,468; 205 Economou Farm Road sold for a time adjusted price of $595,660; and 89 Nicklaus Circle sold for a time adjusted sales price of $442,200. Based on these comparables and the current market, Ms. Lyons felt that #130 Economou Farm Road was fairly assessed. Ms. Jacobus noted that their home has had no upgrades which other homes have had. She felt the quality is also below average. Mr. Jacobus noted that one of the assumptions in determining base value is location, and he asked that the inspection team look at the backs of units on their side of the road and the other side of the road. Mr. Jacobus questioned how a 20 year old house can be rated in the same condition it previously was. He said the roof needs replacement because they are in “a wind tunnel.” Ms. Lyons said that is routine maintenance and doesn’t count. Mr. Jacobus said that would make a difference in the sales price if they were to try to sell the house. Testimony was then closed. An inspection team of Ms. Emery, Ms. Nugent and Sen. Chittenden was assigned to inspect the property at 2 p.m. on this date. The appeal was continued until 21 October, 6 p.m. d. Lucille LaCount 201 Economou Farm Road Ms. Lacount gave permission for her daughter, Ms. Badger to testify on her behalf. They testified that they had compared the property on Economou Farm Road and the property on Four Sisters Road. They were built by the same builder with similar design, same layout, but varying in finishes. Based on that comparison, they felt the $668,000 assessment was “inflated.” Ms. Badger then compared her mother’s property to #79 and said it is valued at BOARD OF CIVIL AUTHORITY 16 OCTOBER 2021 am PAGE 4 $5900 less, but has many more features. #201 is valued at $95,000 less and has 280 more. Square footage which allows for an island in the kitchen. #424 Nowland Farm Road is valued at $147,500 less but has a higher end kitchen. Ms. Badger felt that $540,000 was a more appropriate value for her mother’s property. Ms. Badger testified that the vinyl siding is discolored, the driveway has a sunken in area due to a water shut off valve, her deck is wavy and the roof needs replacement. Ms. Kinville asked who is responsible for the upkeep of the property. Ms. LaCount said the association takes care of the outside. Residents do the inside. Ms. Lyons said the property has an average rating and has an unfinished basement. She presented three comparables: 79 Economou Farm Road which sold for a time adjusted price of $678,468; 205 Economou Farm Road which sold for a time adjusted price of $595,660; and 89 Nicklaus Circle which sold for a time adjusted price of $442,200. Based on those sales, Ms. Lyons felt the appellants’ property is fairly assessed at $668,200. Testimony was then closed. An inspection team of Ms. Emery, Ms. Nugent and Sen. Chittenden was assigned and will inspect the property on 20 October at Noon. The appeal was then continued to 21 October, 6 p.m. e. Edward Delfoe 161 Economou Farm Road Mr. Delfoe said homeowners on Economou Farm Road “got slammed.” He noted that when the homes were built, #203 and #205 were built as “premier homes.” They are 2 feet wider and have the best views. In the last assessment, these 2 homes were the highest valued; now they are the lowest at $573,000 and $589,000 respectively. #205 sold in 2020 for $580,000. Mr. Delfoe said #56 is the only stand-alone house. The owners had an assessment done by a professional assessor and had their assessment reduced by $100,000 to $541,000. Mr. Delfoe said this suggests that Tyler made a mistake. Mr. Delfoe said he felt $580,000 would be a fair value for his home based on the appraisal of the 2 larger premier townhomes. BOARD OF CIVIL AUTHORITY 16 OCTOBER 2021 am PAGE 5 Ms. Lyons said that 161 Economou Farm Road has an average quality rating and has a partially finished basement. She presented three comparables: 79 Economou Farm Road which sold for a time adjusted price of $678,468; 206 Economou Farm Road which sold for a time adjusted price of $595,660; and 89 Nicklaus Circle which sold for a time adjusted price of $442,200. Based on those sales, Ms. Lyons felt the appellant’s property is fairly assessed at $658,300. Testimony was then closed. An inspection team of Ms. Emery, Ms. Nugent and Sen. Chittenden was assigned to inspect the property at 11 a.m. on 16 October. The appeal was continued until 21 October, 6 p.m. f. Mark Patane & Elaine Bodette 20 Southview Drive Mr. Patane said he felt their assessment was unfair. He noted that #16 and #20 are mirror images. He noted that the records say the house has 2,292 sq. ft., but when they refinanced last year, the figure given was 2,164 sq. ft., a difference of 128 sq. ft. Willow has the same square footage listed. Mr. Patane also noted that the building has 3 units with the 2 end units being the same. He said #16 has a finished basement where their unit does not. Mr. Patane said the prior owner of #16 sold the unit for about $470,000. Mr. Patane also noted that the refinance appraisal was $417,000 from February 2020. Ms. Lyons said the property has an average quality rating and has an unfinished basement. The card shows 2,292 square feet. She then presented 3 comparables: 16 Southview Drive which sold for a time adjusted sales price of $475,609, 15 Hummingbird Lane which sold for a time adjusted price of $475,813; and 49 Fielding Lane which sold for a time adjust price of $362,335. She also noted that #57 Fielding Lane just sold in August for $425,000 and has 2,100 sq. ft. with a partly finished basement. Based on the comparables and the current market, Ms. Lyons said the appellant’s property is fairly assessed at $433,400. Mr. Patane said that the sale document for #57 Fielding says it has 2184 sq. ft., not 2,100. Testimony was then closed. BOARD OF CIVIL AUTHORITY 16 OCTOBER 2021 am PAGE 6 An inspection team of Ms. Callea, Mr. St. Germain and Mr. Nowak was assigned to inspect the property at 2:45 on this date. The appeal was then continued until 21 October at 6 p.m. g. Brett Grabowski 112 Springhouse Road Mr. Grabowski said his property assessment went from $1,020,500 to $1,648,200, a 61% increase. He noted that Tyler never looked at the house. When it was appealed, there was no change. Tyler said that was based on the comps, but he refused to provide those comps. Mr. Grabowski provided comps, all from Spear Street and photos of his home and the comparable homes. The homes on Spear Street increased from 16.8% to 21.46%. Mr. Grabowski said he felt a 27% increase would be fair and would result in an assessed value of $1,300,000. Ms. Lyons said that the property has an excellent quality rating and an unfinished basement. She presented 3 comparables: 427 Golf Course Road has a time adjusted sales price of $1,723,500; 475 Golf Course Road has a time adjusted sales price of $1,412,744; and 51 Van Sicklen Road has a time adjusted sales price of $1,242,120. Based on those comparables and the market, Ms. Lyons felt the appellant’s property was fairly assessed at $1,648,200. She noted that the existing restrictions on this property are already figured in. Mr. Grabowski said he felt the comparables cited are “apples to oranges.” He felt his numbers were more appropriate as her properties were all on the golf course and had views. Testimony was then closed. An inspection team of Ms. Callea, Mr. St. Germain and Mr. Nowak was assigned to view the property at 3:45 on this date. The appeal was continued to 21 October at 6 p.m h. Todd Ciardelli 25 Baldwin Avenue Mr. Ciardelli said his assessment went up 40%. The neighbor across the street with a similar house went up only 25%. He said that does not make sense, and he is looking for equity. BOARD OF CIVIL AUTHORITY 16 OCTOBER 2021 am PAGE 7 Mr. Ciardelli said he appealed to Tyler and the original assessment was reduced from $346,000 to $339,000. He felt that $315,000 would be fair based on the 25% increase to the house across the street. Mr. Ciardelli also provided an estimate of $5,857.60 for needed work on the siding of the house. Ms. Lyons said the property has a fair to average rating with a partially finished basement. She presented 3 comparables: 39 Baldwin Avenue sold for a time adjusted price of $373,787; 39 McIntosh Avenue sold for a time adjusted price of $390,623; and 35 Baldwin Avenue sold for a time adjusted price of $295,288. Based on those sales and the market, Ms. Lyons felt the appellant’s property was fairly assessed at $339,900. Mr. Ciardelli noted that the drywall has rot. Testimony was then closed. An inspection team of Ms. Callea, Mr. St. Germain and Mr. Nowak was assigned to view the property at 4:30 on this date. The appeal was then continued to 21 October, 6 p.m. Mr. St. Germain then moved to continue all appeals heard at this meeting to 21 October at 6 p.m. Ms. Callea seconded. The motion passed with all present voting in favor. 7. Other Business: No other business was presented. As there was no further business to come before the Board, Mr. Nowak moved to adjourn. Mr. St. Germain seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 11:50 a.m. __________________________ Clerk