[0:16] Am I running this cuz I'm the senior?
>> I Yeah, I would say so.
[0:21] » So called to order of the BAA
at the 7:00 p.m. on
[0:28] September 9th, 2026.
[0:32] Roll call.
We have Thomas Carrier a member.
[0:37] And we have
Phil Stone, of course.
[0:41] And Keith Peck.
We uh
[0:45] which is a quorum.
>> Yes.
[0:48] » And
uh to my knowledge, no additions or
[0:51] changes to the agenda other than moving
up
[0:55] the uh election of officers.
>> Okay.
[0:58] » So
>> Motion to do that if you like.
[1:00] » Is there a motion to move up the
election of officers?
[1:03] Agenda item.
>> I make a motion to move up the election
[1:06] of officers.
>> We have a second.
[1:08] » Second.
>> We have a motion and second. We're going
[1:11] to move up the uh election of officers.
[1:16] Board chair.
Help me with language.
[1:20] » You simply just have Someone has to make
a motion to nominate someone.
[1:27] » I'll make a motion to nominate Phil
Stone.
[1:31] » I second that.
[1:34] » Do we have one to pick another now?
>> We will accept the nomination.
[1:38] » Yes.
[1:41] » We're all done.
>> We love to like kiss.
[1:44] » All in favor of electing Phil Stone.
>> I.
[1:47] » I.
[1:55] Thank you. Thank you, for this.
Motion
[1:58] carried.
>> All right. So, this might be your
[2:02] applicant I'm assuming online.
>> Hello, do we have an applicant online?
[2:06] » I see a hand.
>> We don't hear you. Maybe unmute if
[2:11] that's an option.
>> I see a unmute button there.
[2:17] » Okay. Good afternoon. Good evening. Can
you hear me?
[2:21] » Yes, we can hear you.
>> Hi, my name is that March says I'm
[2:25] sorry. I tried to join the Zoom meeting
online, but it says the meeting does not
[2:31] exist. So, I'm using my phone instead.
>> Okay, well, you've been successful.
[2:39] » Well, that's a good thing. So,
um
[2:44] Do you have a question for me?
Um where I live, why did I appeal? I
[2:49] don't know. What you'd like to know?
>> Uh before we
[2:54] get you to get to you on the agenda,
the next agenda is approval of minutes.
[3:00] » Oh, okay. I understand how that works.
So, I'll be quiet until then.
[3:03] » Yeah, we'll we'll get back to you.
>> We have none to approve cuz we do not
[3:07] have enough members present here that
was at that meeting. So,
[3:11] » So, we will pass over the approval of
minutes and get to the appeal hearing.
[3:16] We have a
motor vehicle appeal from you that's
[3:19] Martis.
Hopefully, I'm not damaging
[3:23] name too much.
And
[3:26] » it's all right.
>> Okay.
[3:30] And we've got your
appeal
[3:35] disregards a 2014 Ford
Edge Select. Is that what that SEL is?
[3:43] » Yes, SEL stands for Select. Yes.
>> Um
[3:48] and if you could state your name and
address for us, just to
[3:54] » Of course. My name is Yvette
Martens. I reside at 16 Wildwood Drive,
[4:01] Columbia, Connecticut, 06237.
[4:07] » Okay. Thank you.
Uh and
[4:11] perhaps give us just your We have your
application, obviously, but of your
[4:16] appeal, but if you just give us your uh
uh
[4:20] brief on it.
>> Certainly. Um
[4:24] so
we initially looked at the value of our
[4:29] egg
uh as a trade-in. Um and that is how I
[4:34] got to the point of understanding the
Kelley Blue Book. Um
[4:39] and
when I went on to evaluate the value,
[4:44] they do ask for any damages that are
cosmetic. Um we have a door that the
[4:51] passenger
the passenger No. The um
[4:56] driver's side door, which is banged.
Um we have a side view mirror that
[5:01] someone tried to knock off.
And
[5:05] um
there are some electrical issues that
[5:10] the
as a driver of the car, you know, you
[5:13] learn the idiosyncrasies of your
vehicle, so you bang or you move or you
[5:18] do something to
get things to move. So, I felt that the
[5:23] value that was placed by the county
uh or by the town on my car
[5:30] was not was not uh
cognizant of
[5:36] these other issues of the car, and
therefore,
[5:39] um
the value
[5:42] that I put into my form reflects
those cosmetic and electrical issues,
[5:48] and therefore lowered the value of the
car.
[5:51] And I was using the Kelley Blue Book as
my resource.
[5:57] » Okay, thank you for that.
>> Thank you.
[6:00] Mhm.
>> Uh
[6:01] so I'm I'm going to read something you
know, you probably are knowledgeable
[6:05] about this, but we have we're very
limited in terms of what we can do in
[6:09] terms of evaluation.
Uh cuz we're this is
[6:14] governed by statute.
So I'm going to kind of read what that
[6:19] involves. So all municipalities must use
the same method which is prescribed in
[6:23] statutes to determine the value of a
personal motor vehicle for property tax
[6:27] purposes.
Previously the law required the Office
[6:31] of Policy and Management
>> [clears throat]
[6:33] » to select the method.
Beginning with uh the 2024 assessment
[6:38] year, vehicles are instead generally
valued using their manufacturer's
[6:42] suggested real retail price reduced
according to the age of the vehicle.
[6:48] By law, motor vehicles are assessed at
example taxed on 70% of this value.
[6:56] Municipalities and special taxing
districts set their own tax rates, but
[7:00] cannot set them higher than a statutory
cap currently at 32.46 mills.
[7:06] The law specifies that taxpayers may
appeal the MSRP used to value their
[7:11] vehicles.
So so really we are governed by these
[7:16] statutes, so we can't take into account
you know, damage or you know,
[7:22] uh mechanical problems. We basically
uh can only go by the statutes which is
[7:28] based on MSRP. So the really your only
uh
[7:32] way for us to consider changing this is
if the MSRP is
[7:37] it was incorrect. And we uh if you could
read what we have there.
[7:43] » Now, the MSRP
that we're showing from the motor
[7:47] vehicle is 33,250.
[7:52] Uh the um assessment value on that is
6980.
[7:59] So,
we cannot move any of those figures at
[8:04] all with that
because those are set by the state of
[8:09] Connecticut.
So, we cannot adjust
[8:12] » So,
I'm I wasn't aware of that. So, what is
[8:17] the purpose of the appeals process?
If because it sounds like I have no
[8:21] recourse.
>> You do have a recourse.
[8:23] » Well, if the MSRP was incorrect, if we
were valuing off the wrong MSRP.
[8:29] So, that really is the only
uh you know, argument, if you will,
[8:34] whether this MSRP was correct.
[8:40] » So, I got to have a jalopy and if the
MSRP says it's a particular value,
[8:45] that's all that the state recognizes and
so as a resident of the state, I have no
[8:52] other recourse. That's pretty much what
I'm understanding. Am I correct?
[8:57] » Yes, unless the MSRP was incorrect and
we're valued valuing it off the wrong
[9:02] MSRP.
But that doesn't seem to be the case
[9:05] here as as as far as we can tell.
[9:10] » No, I'm not arguing that. I'm arguing
the value of the car.
[9:14] » [laughter]
>> Yeah, again,
[9:15] » And that's what I thought.
>> you know, we're very limited with what,
[9:19] you know, how we can alter that. You
know, we just you know, as you say, what
[9:24] is the value of the appeal process? You
know, if for some reason the MSRP were
[9:29] incorrect, if we were valued off the
wrong MSRP, you could bring that to our
[9:33] attention and we could fix that.
But beyond that, we
[9:37] we are not
uh don't have the wherewithal to be able
[9:41] to
>> No, I get it.
[9:43] » Yeah.
>> No, no, I understand. I do understand
[9:46] that. And
I guess that concludes our discussion
[9:51] cuz there's not much more to be done.
>> Yes, thank you. Appreciate you coming
[9:57] on and at least giving us your your
viewpoint.
[10:02] » Well, I just there must be some value in
that, right?
[10:06] » [laughter]
>> All right. Well, thank you so much. You
[10:09] have a nice evening. Thank you very
much.
[10:11] » Thank you, Nina.
>> Thank you. You as well, Eva.
[10:14] Goodnight. Bye-bye.
>> Goodnight.
[10:16] » Thank you.
>> Uh concluding the appeal hearing.
[10:21] Uh set possible special September
meeting date for appeal decisions if
[10:26] needed. Do we have a suggested date?
>> Uh the the calendar Oh, actually you
[10:31] don't need a special meeting. Nothing to
carry on with.
[10:39] » Uh discuss and act upon 2027 BAA meeting
schedule.
[10:43] » Yes, this is it.
>> So, we have those
[10:45] » dates
are finalized.
[10:49] » As put into record, we have 2027 meeting
dates.
[10:54] Do I need to list these words?
>> No, I want to say the dates were
[10:58] approved by all three of you all.
You just have to motion to approve.
[11:01] » I'll make a motion to approve.
>> Two, one in March and one in September.
[11:06] » If somebody has an appeal.
>> That's it.
[11:09] » Yeah.
>> That's it.
[11:10] » It's it's light lifting.
>> Okay.
[11:13] » Um
Uh is there a motion to
[11:18] accept these meeting dates?
>> I'll make a motion.
[11:22] » Yes.
Uh
[11:23] » I'll make a motion to accept the dates.
>> Motion made, motion seconded. All in
[11:28] favor, I.
>> I.
[11:30] » I.
Opposed?
[11:32] None.
[11:35] » And I would just say for the record on
the appeals you might just want to state
[11:38] for the record that it has been denied
officially.
[11:40] » Okay.
Uh the
[11:42] appeal that came from
Yvette Marches
[11:47] has been denied based on no
changes to the MSRP.
[11:58] » And there's just the adjournment and
then you know
[11:59] » Uh
So we did uh motion to adjourn.
[12:04] » Done.
[12:06] » Motion made, motion seconded. All in
favor?
[12:08] » I.
>> I.
[12:10] » So we don't need a dental mark.
>> Correct.
[12:13] » That's not correct.