Correcting our property-tax and building-value estimates

2026-05-31

Correction, September 10, 2026. This post originally described 2,648 structures on 1,799 lots, including 519 multi-building lots, as an island-wide count. That historical dataset was not reconciled to the current Denman land-parcel population. We retire those counts as a description of Denman today; this correction does not substitute a new count.

The post also called an approximately $320,000 annual model difference property tax “not being collected” on “under-reported improvements.” We withdraw that conclusion. Footprint measurements and a valuation model do not establish omitted taxable improvements, tax due, revenue lost or an owner's conduct. The historical number must not be repeated as a current estimate or available public revenue.

What the earlier tax repair changed

The original estimate omitted service-area components and assumed residential classification. Adding published rate components corrected the calculation's inputs, but did not verify the actual bill for every parcel. The approximately $4.64 residential and $13.34 business figures quoted in the original post were historical 2025 rate scenarios, not universal rates for every Denman property or current-year bills. Tax class, applicable service areas, exemptions, grants and the tax year matter. The earlier reader-specific reconciliation is not offered as a verified bill calculation.

What the value model can show

The current LandIntelVal model uses sale-calibrated land coefficients blended with assessment-derived inputs. Its improvement component takes the greater of recorded assessed building value and measured footprint multiplied by an assessment-derived coefficient or fallback. It is neither independent of assessments nor a construction-cost quote or appraisal. Footprint is not floor area, and multiple footprints do not establish multiple homes.

The current methodology explains those inputs and limits. The data page supplies current scoped counts; the farm-pattern comparison separately applies a fixed residential rate to matched modeled and assessed values. None of those calculations establishes actual taxes paid or what other owners would save.

We preserve the retired numbers above to identify exactly what changed, not to endorse them. Report a correction.