Print
Share page with AddThis

Assessor

April 11, 2024

Dear Property Owner:

This letter will introduce Lynne Castiglione who is a participant in the “Senior Work off Volunteer Program” for the Town of Bellingham. 
Ms. Castiglione will be working under the supervision of the Assessor’s Office and has been assigned the responsibility of taking exterior pictures of properties in town.  Lynne is driving a 2019 Volkswagon with MA license plate 4XJT69.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our office at 508-657-2862

Very truly yours,
Elizabeth Cournoyer
Assessment Director

The Assessors Office has a full-time Assessor and one full-time Assistant Assessor, a full-time Clerk along with an appointed 3-member board who serve on a part-time basis.   
 

Appointments are made by the Board of Selectmen and the term of the appointment is three years. All appointed members of the Board of Assessors must complete Massachusetts Department of Revenue Course 101 as well as attend a classification workshop.
 
The Assessor is required by Massachusetts law to list and value all real and personal property. Values are subject to ad valorem taxation on an assessment roll each year. The “ad valorem” basis for taxation means that all property should be taxed “according to value”. In Massachusetts, assessed values are based on “full and fair cash value” or 100 percent of the fair market value. The Bellingham Assessors Office must appraise and assess approximately 6,946 parcels.
 
To arrive at “full and fair cash value” for your property, the Assessor analyzes arm’s length sales of real estate transfers for a calendar year. The Assessor also must collect, record and analyze a great deal of information about property and market characteristics in order to estimate the fair market value. Cost and quality of construction, zoning, financing and economic conditions may also affect property values. The Assessor uses the three nationally recognized appraisal approaches to value: cost, income and market; this data is then correlated into to final value.
 

Staff Contacts

Name Title Phone
Elizabeth Cournoyer Administrative Assessor 508-657-2861
Tara Damiano Assistant Assessor 508-657-2810
Michelle Nowlan Assessors Clerk 508-657-2862

Board Members

NameAddressTerm
Grace L. Devitt

41 Flagg Drive

2026
Lynn M. Roy

37 Little Tree Lane

2025
Susan Silva

4 Oak Terrace

2024