(a)  There is hereby established within the department of revenue a division of property valuation and municipal finance. The head of the office shall be the chief of property valuation and municipal finance.

Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 42-142-4

  • Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts

(b)  The division of property valuation and municipal finance shall have the following duties:

(i)  Provide assistance and guidance to municipalities in complying with state law;

(ii)  Encourage cooperation between municipalities and the state in calculating, evaluating, and distributing state aid;

(iii)  Encourage the exchange of information between the division and other governmental entities in an effort to increase shared services by making available, through the use of web-based applications or other mediums, municipal vendor contracts and/or any other data the division deems appropriate;

(iv)  Maintain and compute financial and equalized property value information for the benefit of municipalities and public policy decision makers;

(v)  Encourage and assure compliance with state laws and policies relating to municipalities, especially in the areas of public disclosure, tax levies, financial reporting, and property tax issues;

(vi)  Encourage cooperation between municipalities and the state by distributing information and by providing technical assistance to municipalities;

(vii)  Give guidance to public decision makers on the equitable distribution of state aid to municipalities; and

(viii)  Provide technical assistance for property tax administration.

History of Section.
P.L. 2006, ch. 246, art. 38, § 1; P.L. 2008, ch. 98, § 33; P.L. 2008, ch. 145, § 33; P.L. 2016, ch. 142, art. 8, § 3.