Hefty property tax hikes for homeowners have raised questions about the City of Boston’s assessment process, where similar homes on the same street can vary significantly in value and property values can spike without renovations.

Boston City Councilors Erin Murphy and John FitzGerald introduced a hearing order that aims to start getting answers to some of those questions, given the direct impact rising assessments have on residential property taxes.

“The city of Boston is at a critical juncture where affordability, revenue generation, and equitable investment intersect with the future of residential and commercial property landscapes,” Murphy said. “This hearing order aims to shed light on the complexity surrounding the assessing process and its direct impact on residential tax bills.”

Murphy, an at-large councilor, and FitzGerald, whose district includes most of Dorchester and part of the South End, said many residents have been reaching out to their offices with questions about assessment variability in their neighborhoods since property tax bills hit two weeks ago with steep tax increases.

Some of his constituents, FitzGerald said, have reported seeing their home values increase by $700,000 over the past year without having renovations that would “typically increase the value of one’s home,” such as a new kitchen or siding.

Other residents have reported instances where similar homes on the same street and the same neighborhood were valued “very differently,” to the tune of “tens of thousands of dollars,” he said.

“Obviously, when those (values) increase, so do your taxes,” FitzGerald said. “It’s starting to sort of pit neighbor against neighbor really, where folks are looking at what everyone else did on the street and seeing how they fare — and a lot of discrepancies have come up in those conversations.”

The two councilors have invited representatives from the “relevant” city departments and divisions to a future Council Ways and Means committee hearing that Murphy hopes will garner answers on “assessment variability.”

“I think we need an in-depth exploration of the assessing process, a comprehensive review of the factors contributing to property valuations, including home improvements, sales of nearby properties and other market dynamics,” Murphy said, while “analyzing existing valuation methods to identify their benefits or limitations in exploring creative, comprehensive solutions.”

Both councilors also envision the hearing as providing awareness to homeowners of the city’s existing tax relief options, such as “exemptions, abatement, and potentially rebates,” their order states.

Related Articles

Boston City Council OKs $110M housing accelerator fund

Boston Mayor Wu’s 301 new hires: ‘Your Tax Dollars at Work’ database

Boston City Council sugary drink tax push met with bitter reception

Michelle Wu added 300 new positions to Boston City Hall amid budget crunch

Editorial: Politicians keep betraying homeowners

The Council’s push to explore the assessment process comes as Mayor Michelle Wu is trying again on legislation that seeks to provide tax relief for homeowners by shifting more of the city’s tax burden from the residential to commercial sector, beyond what is allowed by state law — after her prior tax bill died in the Senate.

This time, the mayor is hedging her bets with an expanded home rule petition that sees the city asking to provide rebates to homeowners, from surplus funds, should lawmakers not approve the new requested tax rates by March.

The Council this week approved a home rule petition that seeks to increase the tax exemption for income-eligible senior homeowners. It was put forward by Council Vice President Brian Worrell and includes similar language to the senior exemption expansion sought in the mayor’s new legislation.