A West Burke property owner is suing the town over the handling of his property tax assessment

A West Burke property owner is suing the town over the handling of his property tax assessment. Kevin Blais, who is the property owner at 3853 Rt. 5, has appealed a Burke Board of Civil Authority decision that concluded the home on .75 acres is worth $158,972. Prior to a townwide reappraisal of Burke properties earlier this year, the town had his property assessed at $91,000. The reappraisal for Burke was necessary because the actual fair market value of properties in town was much higher than previously assessed rates. Most property owners saw a significant jump in the reappraised values. On average homes on six acres of land or less increased by about 53 percent. Through the reappraisal, Blais’ new property value was bumped 87 percent to $170,400. Assessor Matt Krajeski reported that by conducting a fair market value analysis of three other similar properties that sold between April 1, 2020, and April 1, 2023, the assessment of Blais’ property was justified. Blais appealed the new value to the Board of Civil Authority. Members of the BCA conducted a subsequent site inspection, after which they decided to lower the assessed value of the property to just under $160,000. Blais communicated in writing to the town his desire to appeal the decision of the BCA.