Gloucester’s reassessment was the hot topic at Tuesday night’s board of supervisors meeting in the colonial courthouse. A majority of supervisors felt it unnecessary to send $1,000 to the Virginia Association of Counties to help lobby against a bill that would ultimately shift the burden of proof in a reassessment appeal from the taxpayer to the locality.

House Bill 1588, if passed, would transfer the burden of proof from the taxpayer to the assessor when a taxpayer appeals the assessment of real property to a board of equalization. It would then transfer the burden of proof from the taxpayer to the locality when such appeal is made to a circuit court. There is also a similar bill in the Senate.

County Administrator Brenda Garton first informally brought the matter to the attention of the board at its last meeting. "I got an unexpected reaction," Garton said.

She explained it was unnecessary for the board to take any position on the legislation. "I do...