Lewiston city officials announced a one-year delay in the implementation of the city’s first property tax revaluation in nearly four decades.

City Administrator Bryan Kaenrath made the announcement after talking to City Assessor Bill Healey.

The City Council in recent weeks had asked Healey, who under state law has sole authority to implement the revaluation, to delay and phase-in the new assessments, which for most properties have increased significantly.

However, when the assessments were mailed out last week, there was no mention of a delay, causing confusion and concern.

On Thursday, councilors asked Kaenrath to see if Healey would consider delaying the assessment by two years and whether the May 15 deadline for informal hearings can be extended.

The one-year delay was announced by Kaenrath after he spoke with Healey.

Delaying the implementation for one year will cost about $15,000 to $18,000, according to Ward 1 Councilor Josh Nagine.

City councilors have been outspoken about the need for a delay to soften the impact on taxpayers.

“This is good, but it’s not good enough,” Mayor Carl Sheline said in a post Friday. “A one-year delay is insufficient after a 38-year delay and a tripling of property values. We need to give property owners additional time.”

Nagine called the one-year delay “absolutely necessary.”

New valuations for residential properties have increased, on average, by 180%, while commercial valuations have risen about 140% as the city attempts to use the revaluation to bring property values up to date.

As a result, the city’s tax rate will drop from $32.78 per $1,000 of assessed value to around $17 for the 2027 budget before the council.

“We’re overdue for a revaluation, 100%,” said Nagine. “But that is not the fault of the taxpayer. We have to give folks the opportunity to absorb their new assessed values, contest it and be able to prepare for what is essentially a high tax.”

At the same time, he says the city needs to address the topic sooner rather than later.

“The longer we delay this, the more chances of the revaluation that we just paid $580,000 to do over three years could be out of line again,” said Nagine. “We have a lot of folks that are working class and even working poor in our community that own homes. A lot of these folks are the backbone of our community and we want to make sure people stay in their homes.”

Ward 5 City Councilor Chrissy Noble disagreed with needing a delay, saying it will not make a difference for what people are expected to be in for.

“For those of us living paycheck to paycheck this is going to increase our mortgage payments to an amount I’m not sure I can afford,” said Noble. “People who have had their homes for generations are now looking at selling, or afraid they will lose their houses through bankruptcy. I understand this needs to happen, but I wish we could phase it in for homeowners like me.”

The council discussed phasing in the implementation over two or three years but members were told the cost of doing that could run from $200,000 to $800,000.

Jason Lowit, a lifelong Lewiston resident, saw the value of his Farwell Street home increase by about $300,000. He said Thursday it may force him to move.

On Friday, Lowit said he’s pleased to hear about the one-year delay, but it doesn’t change his mind about moving.

“Even with the delay, it will make no difference in my plans as I still end up paying significantly more than I do now,” said Lowit. “If spending was kept in check, then none of us would be facing what we are now, revaluation or not.”

Nagine said he is going to knock on doors in his ward and talk to residents about what they can do to help offset any increase they may see in their taxes because of the revaluation.

“There’s a lot of fear right now,” said Nagine. “We need to make sure we are having these conversations in order to make sure we’re doing everything to help folks. Government exists to help the people paying in the system.

“Everything is more expensive than what it was 10 years ago and it’s a really uncomfortable thing for a lot of folks because this was not an incremental process that happened over the past 38 years. It’s just now at your doorstep, and we need to work with the residents during this time to figure out how to make this less burdensome,” he said.