Kerry Leichtman is the Rockport Town Assessor, and he explains the results of the revaluation: The old rule of thumb was that in a revaluation one-third will see an increase in taxes, 1/3 will see a decrease and one-third will not experience any change. Reflecting the fact that we are not experiencing economic "normalcy" Rockport's revaluation didn't follow the rule.

Rockport has 6212 real estate accounts. Of those, 82 percent of them will see a decrease in their property valuation, 1 percent will see no change, and 17 percent will see a valuation increase. These figures are real estate values, not taxes. How these changes will be reflected in property tax bills requires a mil rate to compute the values against.

That calculation will not take place until late August at tax commitment.

Overall, Rockport lost $41,003,224 in real estate value. Much of it was in oceanfront land values and in higher-value residential housing.

Using a conservative mil rate estimate, 4472 taxpayers (72 percent) will pay less in property taxes in 2016; 9 will see no change. Of the remaining 1731, 495 taxpayers (8 percent) will see an increase of less than $100, and 367 (6 percent) will see an increase greater than $100 but less than $200. 877 taxpayers (14 percent) will see increases of $200 or more.

The revaluation was conducted by KRT Appraisal of Haverhill, Massachusetts.

KRT did an outstanding job. Their attention to detail and knowledge of the process was exceptional.

KRT Appraisal has sent Impact Notices to all taxpayers. The letter includes a phone number and email address for taxpayers to use for scheduling meetings to discuss the new values. Meetings will be held in the Richardson Room at the Town Office Building during the last week of July. The date will extend into August if necessary. KRT Appraisal will schedule the appointments and meet with the taxpayers. Taxpayers can also ask questions about their valuations via email.

People are busy, especially during the summer. The email option will give people an opportunity to ask questions without having to take the time to come in and meet with KRT.

Links to revaluation information can be found at Rockport's website by clicking the Town Departments tab, then Assessing, and 2015 Revaluation.

For additional information call Kerry Leichtman or Megan Griffin at 236-6758