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The Board of Assessors works with the Assessor / Appraiser, overseeing the establishment of property values, hearing appeals, reviewing abatements, establishing the tax rate, and processing the motor vehicle excise tax that is created by the Registry of Motor Vehicles. The Board sets policy for the Town's tax program. Experience in real estate is helpful for serving on this Board. Confidentiality is important in many instances.

Members must be prepared to expend large amounts of time for a period of six months during re-evaluation years, which occur every third year. If many abatements are filed, the year after re-evaluation can be a couple of time-consuming months. During re-evaluation years, members do field reviews of all properties in Acton.

The Assessor's duties and qualifications are to a large extent covered by Massachusetts General Laws. The Commissioner at review under Chapter 58, Section 3, has the power to require Assessors to attend in-service, pre-entry, and intern training programs on the technical, legal, and administrative aspects of the assessment process. These programs are to include the training required to meet minimum standards of assessment and classification performance.

At the present time, the Commissioner requires that Assessors attend a one-week course at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst on Assessment-Administration-Law-Procedure Valuation, and pass a four-hour exam. Other recommended workshops are scheduled on related topic throughout the year, but are not mandatory.