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A public agenda is posted a few days in advance. The sign outside the door says “open meeting.” But if you walk into this small, teal-carpeted City Hall office, the elected officials inside might be a little surprised to see you.
You’re here to watch a meeting of New Bedford’s Board of Assessors? On purpose? All right, then. They’ll show you to the public gallery — an upholstered chair two steps to your right.
The three board members gather around a small conference table with a couple of city staffers. They don’t have assigned seats, namecards, or microphones. Before starting their meeting on Oct. 2, they shared the weather forecast for the upcoming weekend and said things like, “Guess who I ran into the other day?”
Marty Treadup walked in and the meeting came to order a few minutes after 9 a.m. Peter Berthiaume tapped his fingers as Chairperson Kim Saunders checked items off the agenda. The three assessors spent much of the open session just signing paperwork.
In New Bedford, assessors are elected to six-year terms. One of the three board seats is up for grabs in each municipal election. But the board’s membership hasn’t changed in 15 years. The incumbents almost always run unopposed, and when they do face challengers, the races aren’t competitive.
Assessors play a critical role in calculating tax bills, but they might have one of the most misunderstood jobs in city government.
“We don’t raise taxes; we don’t lower taxes,” Berthiaume said in an interview. “We’re not even really part of any decision-making authority regarding budget.”
This November, it’s Berthiaume’s turn on the ballot. He’s running unopposed for a fourth full term. The City Council appointed Berthiaume to fill a vacancy in 2005 after he ran two unsuccessful bids for a spot on the board.
What do assessors do, anyway?
Every year, the Board of Assessors determines the value of each property in the city. That includes more than 27,000 parcels of real estate, plus about 81,000 vehicles and 500 boats.
The board doesn’t control taxes — the City Council sets the tax rates in conjunction with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, and the city’s treasurer-collector makes sure taxes get paid. But the property values determined by assessors can have a big impact on your tax bill.
Assessors look at recent real estate transactions and other market data to determine how much properties are worth. They monitor building permits to factor in the value of improvements. The city’s appraisers also gather information through onsite visits.
The other important duty assessors have is reviewing applications for abatements and exemptions.
An abatement is a reduction in taxes for a property that was mistakenly overvalued. An exemption excuses a property owner from paying all or part of their bill if they meet certain requirements. For example, state law allows exemptions for widows, disabled veterans, the elderly, and the families of police officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty.
“That actually takes a lot of time, to try to decipher who qualified for something and who doesn’t,” Berthiaume said.
The board only discusses abatements and exemptions in a secret executive session, as required by a state privacy law. Homeowners provide personal information about their health and financial situation in exemption applications. For abatements on commercial properties, assessors may consider business information provided to the board in confidence.
When the board denies a property owner’s abatement application, the property owner can file an appeal with the state’s Appellate Tax Board. Then, it’s the board’s job to defend its assessment or, more commonly, reach a settlement with the property owner.
Board members are paid an annual salary of $20,291. Each year, the board selects its own chairperson, who earns $27,054. Assessors used to earn an annual longevity bonus after 10 years in office, until the city put a stop to longevity pay for elected officials last year. In 2023, Treadup received $750 and Berthiaume received $550 in longevity bonuses.
There aren’t any special requirements to run for assessor, but once elected, assessors must pass a training course required by state law.
In New Bedford, the board usually meets on Thursday mornings, three or four times a month. Minutes show that meetings often take about half an hour to an hour, but they can sometimes stretch to two hours, depending on the agenda.
Berthiaume said he usually spends two to three hours a week on official duties outside of the board’s public meetings. He said he answers a few phone calls a week from people with questions about the value of their property or a property they might buy. People often ask him how certain improvements might impact their tax bill, he said.
The state Department of Revenue oversees local assessing offices: it double-checks valuations, abatements, and exemptions each year to make sure they follow state law. The agency does deeper audits of all city and town valuations every five years.
Berthiaume said a Department of Revenue employee once showed up unannounced to appraise his house. He said the state paid all the board members a visit to make sure they weren’t using their positions to give themselves an unfair tax advantage.
The three board members don’t do all of the assessing on their own. The mayor appoints a full-time administrative assistant to the board of assessors, an office currently held by Sherie Pinzino. It’s a deceptively diminutive title — Pinzino is actually the department head for the assessor’s office. She oversees its daily operations, including the work of three professional appraisers.
Why are assessors elected?
The elected board’s job is to hold the administrative staff accountable, said Kathleen Costello, the former Mattapoisett assessor and executive director of the Massachusetts Association of Assessing Officers.
“You got your finger on a lot of money,” she said. “So, it’s important for there to be a system of checks and balances.”
Board members take an oath to make sure property is being accurately valued, so that everyone in the city is taxed fairly. Costello said a good board of assessors should stay informed on what’s going on in the assessor’s office, and should have a good relationship with the department head.
The administrative assistant brings recommendations to the board for approval, but it’s not a rubber-stamp process, according to Berthiaume. He said the board usually has a lot of questions. Assessors often ask for more information before they make a final decision, he said.
For example, Berthiaume said, a property owner might apply for an abatement because their building caught fire. In that situation, the board might want more specifics on where the structure was damaged, and how badly.
How long has assessor been an elected position in Massachusetts? The question stumped Costello.
“Since probably the dawn of time,” she answered. “It’s just the way it is.”
Historical records show the tradition of electing town assessors in Massachusetts goes back to at least 1692, just after the Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth colonies were merged into a royal province. That year, the province’s legislature passed a law giving town selectmen the authority to assess property for taxation. Selectmen were (and still are) elected officials.
In 1699, another provincial law formally established the role of local assessors, requiring towns to elect them during their spring meetings.
This means New Bedford has always elected its assessors. The elected position was still required by Massachusetts law when New Bedford was first incorporated as a town in 1787. The city’s 1847 charter established a board of assessors, elected from each ward. Today, New Bedford only elects assessors-at-large, representing the whole city.
Berthiaume on the ballot
When Berthiaume first became a homeowner in 1993, he said he didn’t understand his tax bill at all. That’s why he decided to join the Board of Assessors.
“I was so passionate about, like, what am I paying for? Why am I paying this? How did they come up with this value?”
He didn’t succeed in his first two campaigns, but he said the “powers that be” must have recognized his dedication when the City Council appointed him to fill a vacancy in 2005.
Berthiaume, 59, retired last year from the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office, where he was assistant superintendent of the civil division. He now works part-time as a police officer in Mansfield and is chairman of the board of the New Bedford Credit Union.
As he runs for another term, Berthiaume says his passion for the job makes him a good assessor.
“I enjoy it, I really do,” he said. “I don’t know why I enjoy it.”
Email Grace Ferguson at gferguson@newbedfordlight.org
For a long time now the Assessors Office has been no friend to the taxpayers of New Bedford, but they should not take all the blame, the present Mayor’s Vision for our city has failed miserably with No Economic Growth, no New Private Industries, Spend, Spend, Spend, Running the City on Non Profits and State Agencies, and having to rely on STATE AID and RAISING TAXES to run our city, says 100% it’s time for change in the Mayor’s Office.
A good article. Thanks for explaining this important position in city government. I would appreciate when criticizing the mayor to bring forward facts not statements with no data or numbers.
If you can read this article, I am sure you can go back on the city’s website and see that no other previous administration or mayor in our city’s history expanded city government and increased spending like Mayor John Mitchell (the facts show for over 10 years (from the 2012 Budget of $247.3 Million Dollars to the present approved budget of $550.8 Million Dollars). This administration’s poor decision making, expansion of city government, and failed financial and economic leadership have driven the city’s budget up by a staggering $303.5 Million Dollars.
Amen!
Whoops, I meant the Amen for Mr. Kanter’s comment.
Excellent explanation and history! Thank you for enlightening the public on this seldom mentioned department.
I am grateful that these citizens are able and willing to fill these seats.
Agree.
Yes.
I worked with Peter at the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office. He was smart, humble, and was respected by many. He will always do his best in any job he aspires to.
This is exactly what I stated in previous comments relating to taxes. One resident argued the issue with me as I questioned were they keeping their property up or neglecting it when they stated their taxes went down. Thank you for explaining exactly what I stated, taxes go by the value of your home, we do not all pay the same. My taxes went up, but, I improved my home and the value increased 50,000.00, thank you assessor’s especially Paula Little, we have to express appreciation for the staff as well as the leaders.
Exactly!