been ordered, the board shall draw an order on the town treasurer for such payment.
An abatement request should be made in writing and submitted to the town clerk.
There is a hearing before the town abatement board to decide whether or not to grant the abatement, and the rules for the composition of the abatement board can be found at 24 V.S.A. § 1533. It is not always necessary for the client, or their representative to attend the abatement hearing. After some disasters, towns with many impacted residents grant abatements without much contest. However, if the abatement is likely to be contested, it is preferable to attend the hearing in addition to submitting the abatement request and any relevant documentation. The documentation can include proof that the property is condemned, proof of the client’s income or other relevant information. See the appendix for some examples of tax abatement request letters. Abatement hearings are typically held at least quarterly, but some towns meet more frequently. If it is unclear how a town conducts its tax abatement hearings, contact the town clerk for more information.
Town Property Tax Assessments If a town has incorrectly assessed a property value for property tax purposes, there
is typically an appeal process outlined in the assessment, which can vary town by town. This is useful when a town keeps a property value the same or increases it, even though there was damage to the property that lowered the property’s value. The taxpayer appears either before the assessor, and/or the listers, and has a chance to contest the assessed property value. There can be an informal hearing that can be followed by a more formal hearing with the listers if the informal hearing does not resolve the matter. Evidence is not necessary, but can help illustrate the error of the assessment. Evidence can include photos, contractor assessment, information from a realtor in the area, etc.
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