First Selectwoman Diane Goss Farrell said today she hopes to name a committee to study the town’s aborted 2003 property assessment this week.
She also said she is not sure whether additional funding will be required to conduct the revaluation.
Speaking at her weekly citizens’ brown bag lunch, Farrell said in response to a question that she hoped to announce the names of committee members by Friday and perhaps they could meet as early as next week.
The committee will include Finance Director Don Miklus, Selectman Carl Leaman, Acting Assessor Kevin Murowsky, Board of Assessment Appeals member Garson Heller and a member of the Board of Finance and the Representative Town Meeting (RTM).
There will also be several members of the public chosen from among those responding to Farrell’s invitation to apply to sit on the panel.
“There is no estimate of cost,” she said, adding that she is not assuming there will be additional expenditures required but “that is part of what they (committee members) will consider.”
Farrell announced March 4 that she would seek a one-year delay in implementing the Westport revaluation and said Tuesday that the state had agreed to the town’s request without penalty.
Farrell sought the delay after learning that there was a backlog of 1,700 building permits dating back to 1998 that had not been reviewed by the assessor and added to the tax rolls.
In addition, there were numerous complaints from citizens that some properties had been improperly assessed some too high, some too low.
Farrell said Leaman would supervise the committee. Leaman, who was also at the lunch, said he hoped the committee could issue an initial report to Farrell by June 15 with a final report by mid-November.
The town agreed to pay J. F. Ryan Associates more than $300,000 to conduct the 2003 property assessment.
The Board of Finance and the RTM have approved an additional $150,000 to hire a firm to clean up the backlog.
