Welcome to the Assessing Department!
The Assessing Department is responsible for discovering, listing, equalizing and valuing all taxable property, real and personal, within the City of Brewer for the purpose of taxation. The assessment of property is performed annually and must be in compliance with State Statutes. We perform this function by utilizing deeds, subdivision plans, building permits, site inspections, declarations of value, etc. We are also responsible for maintaining the changes in ownership and any changes regarding the value of property. Once a year, the assessment roll is committed and sent to the Tax Collector for tax purposes.
Click here to see the Commitment Book, which shows the valuation and tax data for each real estate and personal property account.
All Exemptions are administered by the Assessing Department. The Application for Exemption From Local Property Taxation can be found here. The Homestead Exemption Application, BETE, BETR, Blind Exemption, etc. can be found on the State of Maine Web Site.
Governor Extends Application Deadline For Certain Property Tax Exemptions
Effective March 31, 2020, Governor Janet Mills signed an Executive Order extending the April 1, 2020 application deadline for certain property tax exemptions. The Executive Order was signed pursuant to the civil emergency proclamation, signed by the Governor on March 15, 2020.
Ordinarily, applications for certain property tax exemptions would be submitted by April 1 to be effective for a municipality’s property tax commitment. Now, the Executive Order extends the April 1, 2020 deadline to either the commitment date of the municipality or 30 days after the termination of the declared emergency, whichever occurs first. The extended application deadline includes the following property tax exemptions: Property of Institutions and Organizations (36 M.R.S. § 652); Estates of Veterans (36 M.R.S. § 653(1)(G)); Solar and Wind Energy Equipment (36 M.R.S. §§ 655(1)(U) and 656(1)(K)); Exemption of Homesteads (36 M.R.S. § 684(1)); and Exemption of Business Equipment (“BETE”) (36 M.R.S. § 693(1)).
The Executive Order remains in effect until amended or rescinded. If you have any questions about the extended deadline, please contact your municipal assessor or the Property Tax Division of Maine Revenue Services at (207) 624-5600.
Quick Facts
Fiscal Year: July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021 (FY21)
Assessment Date: April 1, 2020
Commitment Date: July 10, 2020
Tax Due Dates: Sept. 8, 2020 (1st half); March 9, 2021 (2nd half)
Certified Ratio: 100%
Current Tax Rate: $22.75 per $1,000 of valuation
Appeal Deadline: January 11, 2021 (185 days from Commitment date)
The total taxable valuation is broken down as follows:
FY2019 FY2020 FY2021
Real Estate 724,376,483 731,246,073 768,236,365
Personal Property 29,238,200 30,517,200 31,279,700
TOTAL 753,614,683 761,763,273 799,516,065
The assessing department records are public information and can be viewed Monday thru Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We are located on the lower level of City Hall at 80 North Main Street.