Motor Vehicle Values Boost Town's Grand List

West Hartford's grand list for 2010 went up by .58 percent from the previous year, mainly driven by an increase in motor vehicle assessments.

"In an environment where a lot of things are going down, the list is up," Joseph Dakers Sr., the 's director of assessment, said this week.

The total assessed value of all taxable property in town was $5,034,691,797, an increase of $29,256,730.

According to Dakers, real estate assessments rose by .32 percent, or $14,500,681,  due to some new residential and commercial construction, as well as some remodeling.

The personal property list decreased by 3.5 percent, or $6,069,340, in part due to the relocation to Texas of Danaher Tool, a large manufacturer.

The motor vehicles list rose by 5.76 percent, or $20,825,389, which can be attributed to 414 additional vehicles in town, an increase in the value of many used cars, and a decline in the rate of depreciation compared to previous years, Dakers said. A total of 47,681 vehicles were included in the town's assessment.

"I think the anomaly was how much value used cars are retaining," Dakers said, adding that his office found that cars depreciated at about 10 percent per year in the past several years and only 6 percent in 2010. Dakers said this was consistent with the findings of other towns around the state.

"The motor vehicles really helped us out this year," Dakers said.

The top 10 town taxpayers for all property in 2010 were: Blue Back Square LLC, Westfarms Mall LLC, Corbins Corner Shopping Center LLC, CL&P, E&A Northeast Limited Partnerships, Town Center West Associates, Sisters of Mercy/McAuley Center, Prospect Plaza Improvements LLC, Bishops Albany LLC, and Corporate Center West.