MIDDLETOWN — The town is poised to undertake a full property revaluation to update its tax rolls.

The full revaluation, which will update the assessments of all the properties in Middletown, follows smaller-in-scope statistical revaluations conducted in 2002 and 2005, Tax Assessor William H. Shorey said.

The town has awarded a $283,000 contract to Vision Appraisal Technology to complete the work, the town’s first full revaluation in about a decade.

In the coming weeks, Vision Appraisal will begin visiting residences and businesses in town to measure property exteriors and review interiors to note the number of rooms and bathrooms, the quality of construction and the like, Shorey said. If no one is home, the appraisers will leave behind contact information that property owners can use to set up an appointment.

Shorey said property owners have the right to refuse to let the appraisers inside, but that’s not usually in one’s best interest.

“You want the appraisal to be as accurate as possible,” Shorey said.

Shorey said it’s too early to tell how values will change this time around. Regardless of the outcome, he said he expects most residents will be pragmatic about the revaluation process.

“Most people have gotten used to revaluations now that we do it every three years,” Shorey said. “Most tax assessors cringe at doing a revaluation because it’s a tremendous amount of work in a tremendously short amount of time. You very seldom hear from the people who are happy with their revaluations. The bottom line is, it sounds like a cliché, but for every person whose property value goes up, somebody else’s goes down.”

The assessment process will take several months. The new property values will be used when calculating next fiscal year’s tax bills.

There will be, as always, a grievance process by which property owners can dispute their new assessment.

State law mandates that communities complete full revaluations every nine years and statistical updates every three years.

To learn more about Middletown’s full property revaluation, visit www.middletownri.com/taxation, or call the assessor’s office at 847-7300.

mwims@projo.com