There are 48,000 parcels of real estate in the City of Worcester. In accordance with Department of Revenue regulations, the City performed a thorough property review and inspection of all 48,000 parcels of real estate - both commercial and residential. City assessors and contracted appraisers inspected and reviewed the property in multiple ways, including through the use of technology as well as physical on-site inspections. Assessors also reviewed permits to capture any property improvements or upgrades. All of the data compiled from these reviews was then compared to data in the existing records, updated when discrepancies emerged, and recorded into a new assessment system purchased by the City.
Multiple levels of review were performed by independent assessors and a contracted appraisal company to ensure that the accuracy and quality of the data was consistent. All of this information has been submitted to the Department of Revenue, which is now conducting its own Data Quality Study to further ensure that the process has been fair and equitable.