but the Town of West Tisbury won the Appellate Tax Board (ATB) battle in the Graham case. Of the seven properties in dispute, the ATB decided that the Town was wrong in their assessment of two. However, overall the ATB agreed with the Town. The Town assessed the properties at $51,116,700, the ATB at $50,588,200, a difference of 1%. Graham's value was $20,240,000.
This case has been the cause celebre in the Town, on the Island and in the world of assessors. In the assessors' world it is renowned because of its being the longest trial in ATB history. The Island laughed at the West Tisbury 'follies". In West Tisbury it caused a lot of bitterness and accusations of misbehavior; I suspect that much of the Town's concern about the issue could have been allayed had the assessors not adopted a policy of silence about the case.
The case has had some benefits to the Town. It stimulated people enough to run for office. It revealed an outdated policy re legal costs, which policy has been changed. Was it worth the $200,000+ of legal bills?
The question now is whether Graham will appeal the decision.
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