(March 19, 2020) — The Assessors Office received the following letter from eQuality regarding the 2020 Revaluation
To the Office of the Assessor:
In an effort to protect our Data Collectors and your community from getting and spreading the respiratory illness, coronavirus disease, we are implementing this temporary policy. We will not be entering homes. We find that households where someone is home and willing to let us enter, generally are seniors or households with small children. Our employees will practice everyday prevention measures like frequent hand washing, staying home when sick, and covering coughs and sneezes. If they show any signs of not feeling well, they will be removed from the field.
We believe that the impact of this change will be minimal as the public is also reluctant to let people into their homes for this very reason.
Our procedures will be as follows:
- The Collectors will approach the home and ring the bell.
- If someone is home, they will verify the information at the door.
- The signature will be taken using the homeowners pen, or if not available, the collectors will have sanitizing wipes to use one the pen before and after the pen is shared.
- The Collector will continue with the Photos and outside measurement of the home.
As with our normal call back process, home owners will receive a data mailer to provide updated interior information and will also have the opportunity to request an interior inspection. Rather than doing the callbacks as each section is closed, the callback and inspection timeline will be moved to when the CDC announces that the threat level is decreased. At this time, it appears that this will be when the weather gets warmer.
In addition, for Commercial Properties, properties such as Elderly Care facilities and other high-risk public spaces will not be entered until further notices.
Communication to the public of this temporary change can be address on your Towns Website, and if requested, we can update the introductory post card.
