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Select Board approves five-year assessing contract; members debated 10% vs. 20% inspection target
Summary
The board approved a multi-year contract with a third-party assessing firm that sets a 10% annual inspection target with the potential to scale up; members expressed concerns about staffing, budget implications and the need to include resvaluation costs in capital planning.
The Select Board reviewed and approved a multi-year assessing-services contract with Whitney Consulting Group at its Feb. 24 meeting after discussion about inspection scope, staffing and revaluation funding. The contract as approved sets an initial annual inspection target of 10% of properties, with staff and the consultant noting additional pickup inspections will come from building permits and property transfers.
Town Administrator Lincoln Daley and the town—s (former) assessor reviewed the contract and told the board the 10% annual inspection rate reflects current staffing realities; the consultant said the firm would prefer to move toward a 20% annual inspection target but would not commit without clearer staffing certainty. Board members said they would expect any future expansion of inspection scope and cost to return to the board for approval and budget planning.
Board discussion also flagged the 2026 revaluation as a known upcoming expense (quoted in the meeting at roughly $127,400 for the revaluation year) and considered reestablishing a capital reserve to smooth the budgetary impact over the five-year cycle.
Why it matters: Property assessment programs and periodic revaluations affect local tax fairness, revenue projections and the municipal budget; inspection coverage affects appraisal accuracy and future tax equity.
Next steps: The board approved the contract with a 60-day termination clause; staff will forward the contract to the Department of Revenue Administration (DRA) for review and will return the contract if DRA requests substantive edits. The board also asked staff to consider reestablishing a capital reserve for future revaluation costs.
