Rhode Island 2025 Regular Session

Rhode Island House Bill H5696 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3
4	4
5	5	2025 -- H 5696
6	6	========
7	7	LC000650
8	8	========
9	9	S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
10	10	IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
11	11	JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
12	12	____________
13	13
14	14	A N A C T
15	15	RELATING TO TAXATION -- LEVY AND ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL TAXES
16	16	Introduced By: Representatives Perez, Lima, Fellela, Hull, and Hopkins
17	17	Date Introduced: February 26, 2025
18	18	Referred To: House Municipal Government & Housing
19	19
20	20
21	21	It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
22	22	SECTION 1. Section 44-5-11.6 of the General Laws in Chapter 44-5 entitled "Levy and 1
23	23	Assessment of Local Taxes" is hereby amended to read as follows: 2
24	24	44-5-11.6. Assessment of valuations — Apportionment of levies. 3
25	25	(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of § 44-5-11 [repealed], beginning on December 31, 4
26	26	2000, the assessors in the several towns and cities shall conduct an update as defined in this section 5
27	27	or shall assess all valuations and apportion the levy of all taxes legally ordered under the rules and 6
28	28	regulations, not repugnant to law, as the town meetings and city councils, respectively, shall, from 7
29	29	time to time, prescribe; provided, that the update or valuation is performed in accordance with the 8
30	30	following schedules: 9
31	31	(1)(i) For a transition period, for cities and towns that conducted or implemented a 10
32	32	revaluation as of 1993 or in years later: 11
33	33	Update Revaluation 12
34	34	Lincoln 2000 2003 13
35	35	South Kingstown 2000 2003 14
36	36	Smithfield 2000 2003 15
37	37	West Warwick 2000 2003 16
38	38	Johnston 2000 2003 17
39	39	Burrillville 2000 2003 18
40	40	North Smithfield 2000 2003 19
41	41
42	42
43	43	LC000650 - Page 2 of 7
44	44	Central Falls 2000 2003 1
45	45	North Kingstown 2000 2003 2
46	46	Jamestown 2000 2003 3
47	47	North Providence 2001 2004 4
48	48	Cumberland 2001 2004 5
49	49	Bristol 2004 2001 6
50	50	Charlestown 2001 2004 7
51	51	East Greenwich 2002 2005 8
52	52	Cranston 2002 2005 9
53	53	Barrington 2002 2005 10
54	54	Warwick 2003 2006 11
55	55	Warren 2003 2006 12
56	56	East Providence 2003 2006 13
57	57	(ii) Provided that the reevaluation period for the town of New Shoreham shall be extended 14
58	58	to 2003 and the update for the town of Hopkinton may be extended to 2007 with no additional 15
59	59	reimbursements by the state relating to the delay. 16
60	60	(iii) The implementation date for this schedule is December 31, of the stated year. 17
61	61	(iv) Those cities and towns not listed in this schedule shall continue the revaluation 18
62	62	schedule pursuant to § 44-5-11 [repealed]. 19
63	63	(2)(i) For the post-transition period and in years thereafter: 20
64	64	Update #1 Update #2 Revaluation 21
65	65	Woonsocket 2002 2005 2008 22
66	66	Pawtucket 2002 2005 2008 23
67	67	Portsmouth 2001 2004 2007 24
68	68	Coventry 2001 2004 2007 25
69	69	Providence 2003 2006 2009 26
70	70	Foster 2002 2005 2008 27
71	71	Middletown 2002 2005 2008 28
72	72	Little Compton 2003 2006 2009 29
73	73	Scituate 2003 2006 2009 30
74	74	Westerly 2003 2006 2009 31
75	75	West Greenwich 2004 2007 2010 32
76	76	Glocester 2004 2007 2010 33
77	77	Richmond 2004 2007 2010 34
78	78
79	79
80	80	LC000650 - Page 3 of 7
81	81	Bristol 2004 2007 2010 1
82	82	Tiverton 2005 2008 2011 2
83	83	Newport 2005 2008 2011 3
84	84	New Shoreham 2006 2009 2012 4
85	85	Narragansett 2005 2008 2011 5
86	86	Exeter 2005 2008 2011 6
87	87	Hopkinton 2007 2010 2013 7
88	88	Lincoln 2006 2009 2012 8
89	89	South Kingstown 2006 2009 2012 9
90	90	Smithfield 2006 2009 2012 10
91	91	West Warwick 2006 2009 2012 11
92	92	Johnston 2006 2009 2012 12
93	93	Burrillville 2006 2009 2012 13
94	94	North Smithfield 2006 2009 2012 14
95	95	Central Falls 2006 2009 2012 15
96	96	North Kingstown 2006 2009 2012 16
97	97	Jamestown 2006 2009 2012 17
98	98	North Providence 2007 2010 2013 18
99	99	Cumberland 2007 2010 2013 19
100	100	Charlestown 2007 2010 2013 20
101	101	East Greenwich 2008 2011 2014 21
102	102	Cranston 2008 2011 2014 22
103	103	Barrington 2008 2010 2014 23
104	104	Warwick 2009 2012 2015 24
105	105	Warren 2009 2012 2016 25
106	106	East Providence 2009 2012 2015 26
107	107	(ii) The implementation date for the schedule is December 31 of the stated year. Upon the 27
108	108	completion of the update and revaluation according to this schedule, each city and town shall 28
109	109	conduct a revaluation within nine (9) years of the date of the prior revaluation and shall conduct an 29
110	110	update of real property every three (3) years from the last revaluation. Provided, that for the town 30
111	111	of Bristol, the time for the first statistical update following the 2010 revaluation shall be extended 31
112	112	from 2013 to 2014 and said statistical update shall be based on valuations as of December 31, 2014, 32
113	113	and the first revaluation following the December 31, 2014, and 2015 statistical revaluation shall be 33
114	114	extended from 2016 to 2019 and said revaluation shall be based on valuations as of December 31, 34
115	115
116	116
117	117	LC000650 - Page 4 of 7
118	118	2018; and, that for the city of Woonsocket, the time of the first statistical update following the 2017 1
119	119	revaluation shall be extended from 2020 to 2021, and the statistical update shall be based on the 2
120	120	valuations as of December 31, 2021; and, that for the city of Warwick, the time for the second 3
121	121	statistical update following the 2015 revaluation shall be extended from 2021 to 2022 and said 4
122	122	statistical update shall be based on valuations as of December 31, 2022; and, that for the town of 5
123	123	Johnston, the time of the revaluation following the 2012 revaluation shall be extended from 2022 6
124	124	to 2023, and the statistical update shall be based on the valuations as of December 31, 2022; and, 7
125	125	that for the town of West Greenwich, the time for a first statistical update following the 2019 8
126	126	revaluation shall be extended from 2022 to 2023 and said statistical update shall be based on 9
127	127	valuations as of December 31, 2023; and, that for the town of New Shoreham, the full evaluation 10
128	128	nine (9) years following the 2012 revaluation based on the valuations of December 31, 2021, shall 11
129	129	be extended to December 31, 2022, and be based on valuations as of December 31, 2022. Provided 12
130	130	that for the city of East Providence, the revaluation period as of the December 31, 2021, assessment 13
131	131	date shall be extended to the December 31, 2022, assessment date, with no additional 14
132	132	reimbursements by the state relating to the delay. Provided, that for the city of Woonsocket, the 15
133	133	time of the second statistical update following the 2017 revaluation shall be extended from 2023 16
134	134	to 2024, and the statistical update shall be based on the valuations as of December 31, 2024; and 17
135	135	provided, further, that for the city of Woonsocket, the full revaluation nine (9) years following the 18
136	136	2017 revaluation based on the valuations of December 31, 2026, shall be extended to December 19
137	137	31, 2027, and be based on valuations as of December 31, 2027, and the first statistical update shall 20
138	138	be based upon the valuations as of December 31, 2030, and the second statistical update shall be 21
139	139	based upon the valuations as of December 31, 2033. 22
140	140	(iii) Cities and towns shall not change the assessment of any property based on the purchase 23
141	141	price of the property after a transfer occurs except in accordance with a townwide or citywide 24
142	142	revaluation or update schedule; provided that, this prohibition shall not apply to completed new 25
143	143	real estate construction. 26
144	144	(iv) Commencing December 31, 2025, and every December 31 thereafter, all revaluations 27
145	145	performed shall not increase more than twenty percent (20%) from the last previous revaluation 28
146	146	performed in accordance with this section. 29
147	147	(b) No later than February 1, 1998, the director of the department of revenue shall 30
148	148	promulgate rules and regulations consistent with the provisions of this section to define the 31
149	149	requirements for the updates that shall include, but not be limited to: 32
150	150	(1) An analysis of sales; 33
151	151	(2) A rebuilding of land value tables; 34
152	152
153	153
154	154	LC000650 - Page 5 of 7
155	155	(3) A rebuilding of cost tables of all improvement items; and 1
156	156	(4) A rebuilding of depreciation schedules. Upon completion of an update, each city or 2
157	157	town shall provide for a hearing and/or appeal process for any aggrieved person to address any 3
158	158	issue that arose during the update. 4
159	159	(c) The costs incurred by the towns and cities for the first update shall be borne by the state 5
160	160	in an amount not to exceed twenty dollars ($20.00) per parcel. The costs incurred by the towns and 6
161	161	cities for the second update shall be borne eighty percent (80%) by the state (in an amount not to 7
162	162	exceed sixteen dollars ($16.00) per parcel) and twenty percent (20%) by the town or city, and in 8
163	163	the third update and thereafter, the state shall pay sixty percent (60%) of the update (not to exceed 9
164	164	twelve dollars ($12.00) per parcel) and the town or city shall pay forty percent (40%); provided, 10
165	165	that for the second update and in all updates thereafter, that the costs incurred by any city or town 11
166	166	that is determined to be a distressed community pursuant to § 45-13-12 shall be borne eighty percent 12
167	167	(80%) by the state and twenty percent (20%) by the city or town for all updates required by this 13
168	168	section. 14
169	169	(d) The office of municipal affairs, after consultation with the League of Cities and Towns 15
170	170	and the Rhode Island Assessors’ Association, shall recommend adjustments to the costs formula 16
171	171	described in subsection (c) of this section based upon existing market conditions. 17
172	172	(e) Any property that is either exempt from the local property tax pursuant to § 44-3-3 or 18
173	173	pays a city or town an amount in lieu of taxes is not required to have its values updated pursuant to 19
174	174	this section and the property is not eligible for the reimbursement provisions of subsection (c) of 20
175	175	this section. However, those properties that are exempt from taxation and are eligible for state 21
176	176	appropriations in lieu of property tax under the provisions of § 45-13-5.1 are eligible for state 22
177	177	reimbursement pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, provided, that these properties were 23
178	178	revalued as part of that city or town’s most recent property revaluation. 24
179	179	(f) No city or town is required to conduct an update pursuant to this section unless the state 25
180	180	has appropriated sufficient funds to cover the state’s costs as identified in subsection (c) of this 26
181	181	section. 27
182	182	(g) Any city or town that fails to conduct an update or revaluation as required by this 28
183	183	section, or requests and receives an extension of the dates specified in this section, shall receive the 29
184	184	same amount of state aid under §§ 45-13-1, 45-13-5.1, and 45-13-12 in the budget year for which 30
185	185	the new values were to apply as the city or town received in state aid in the previous budget year; 31
186	186	provided, however, if the new year’s entitlement is lower than the prior year’s entitlement, the 32
187	187	lower amount applies, except for the town of New Shoreham for the fiscal year 2003. 33
188	188	(h) Any bill or resolution to extend the dates for a city or town to conduct an update or 34
189	189
190	190
191	191	LC000650 - Page 6 of 7
192	192	revaluation must be approved by a two-thirds (⅔) majority of both houses of the general assembly. 1
193	193	SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 2
194	194	========
195	195	LC000650
196	196	========
197	197
198	198
199	199	LC000650 - Page 7 of 7
200	200	EXPLANATION
201	201	BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
202	202	OF
203	203	A N A C T
204	204	RELATING TO TAXATION -- LEVY AND ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL TAXES
205	205	***
206	206	This act would place a cap of twenty percent (20%) on increases in consecutive 1
207	207	revaluations of real property in all cities and towns conducting revaluations commencing December 2
208	208	31, 2025, and every December 31 thereafter. 3
209	209	This act would take effect upon passage. 4
210	210	========
211	211	LC000650
212	212	========