Joe Gibbons is Assessing Stoughton

Editor's Note: Each week Stoughton Patch will be shining a spotlight on a dedicated town employee whose hard work contributes to the continued betterment of our community.

Have anyone you would like to see featured as part of this series? Let us know by emailing jeffrey.pickette@patch.com.

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Joe Gibbons, Town Assessor

Gibbons has only been in town a couple of months and he already has an named for him (okay, different Joeseph Gibbons). 

Gibbons may be a new face in and in the Stoughton’s Assessor’s Office but he has hit the floor running since he began July 5.

His 17-year tenure in the communities of Rockland and Tyngsboro, assumingly, contribute to his sense of ease behind his desk covered by stacks of financial reports.

Residing in Scituate, the Gibbons family, wife Trish and their three girls—7-year-old twins and a 4-year-old—enjoy spending time together. 

First impressions of the town…

It is a larger community than the prior towns I have worked in.  The appraisal report was more diverse than expected, both in residential and in commercial real estate.  This diversity is a positive for Stoughton because it spreads the tax burden.

The Assessor Position entails…

The office handles various assessments, some more simplistic than others, such as registrations and the administration of excise taxes.

The most paramount to me, however, is setting the tax rate ON TIME.  (Last year 20 communities out of the 300 in the Commonwealth did not set theirs in time).  I take this very seriously!

Everything depends on timely execution and approvals.  Prompt submissions equate to timely receipt of required state approvals.

Since the majority of our work is behind the scenes, most residents are probably unaware that the critical components of the town’s functionality begin with the Assessor. 

To illustrate: If the town doesn’t acquire the appropriate approvals, the town cannot set the tax rate, and therefore tax bills don’t go out, which would require the town to borrow money or take it from the Town Stabilization Fund to cover payroll and other essential operation costs.

All of which would impact Stoughton’s Bond Rating, which would leading to an increased interest rate (for the borrowing articles passed by our Annual Town Meeting).

Best word(s) to describe my job…

“A go-between the state and the town.”

When I took the Massachusetts’ Department of Revenue’s Oath, compliance is non-negotiable.

This position is right for me…

An Assessor’s role is the polar opposite of mundane, everyday is different, which is what keeps me going!

Favorite part of the job…

The constant activity; we are always busy. There is always a project to complete, like:

• Approvals for the Tax Collector
• Semi-annual Billing Cycle
• Data Collecting from Property Inspections
  • Attempting to get inside each residence to ensure assessment accuracy
  • We want to avoid over assessment due to a forced estimate. A good example is that if your basement windows have blinds or curtains, an outside inspection would lead the collectors to believe and assess a home owner as having a finished basement.  Obviously resulting in greater taxes if that is not in fact the case.
• Cyclical Re-inspection Program
  • State mandated
  • Nine-year cycle
  • Involves in-house real estate inspection

Frustrations of the job…

The ownership I assume for upset appeals.  In a bad economy, residents are not happy with higher valued tax rates.

When I am off the clock…

I used to golf when I had free time, (before kids).

I guess I do typical dad stuff.  I go to birthday parties, do yard work, that kind of stuff.  I enjoyed the kids’ summer vacation at the beach, it is nice that we can walk there.

Favorite Hangout…

Anywhere with my family and the shorter commute allows me to not only spend more time with them but also allows me to devote extra time to getting acclimated to my new role.

One more follow-up question...

• Were you surprised by all the controversy surrounding the in home inspections?

I am not surprised by the .  I did think that some residents would recall the process from years past, due to its nine-year mandate.  With Stoughton’s high number of real estate, we cannot wait until year nine to begin the data collecting process, which includes the in home inspections. 

One huge benefit is that we are not starting from scratch; we have good data, which is a credit to the strong staff in this office.

We did provide a notification to all Stoughton residents about the process and what to expect.  The Data Collectors, who have extremely visible identification, and The Board of Assessors encourage anyone with questions or concerns to call our office at 781-341-1300, ext. 227.