Ferndale opposes Oakland County equalization rate hike, approves outside assessor contract

Ferndale City Council voted to oppose a proposed Oakland County Board of Commissioners resolution that would nearly double the county’s per-parcel equalization fee and approved a three-year contract with Assessment Administration Services LLC (AAS) to provide property assessment services instead of continuing the county contract.

The council adopted a resolution stating it “strongly opposes Oakland County proposed resolution 2025-5051,” which would raise Ferndale’s per-parcel rate from $16.22 for real property parcels and $14.84 for personal property parcels (about $182,000 a year) to $30.86 per parcel—“a 92% increase” to roughly $350,000 annually. The council also approved a three-year contract with AAS for assessor-of-record services totaling $177,420 with a 4% annual escalator, effective July 1, 2025.

Why it matters: Council members said the timing and scale of the county increase would hit municipal budgets with little notice and could force cities to cut services or find new providers during budget cycles. The council’s resolution called for a “transparent, data-informed process” and urged the county to involve municipal partners before implementing large fee shifts.

AAS representatives introduced their company and described the planned transition. Lisa Griffin of Assessment Administration Services said the firm now serves 26 municipalities and that Ferndale’s property data would remain on the county system during transition, reducing the risk of data-migration problems. Mitchell Elrod of AAS described outreach and training steps, including on-site hours and paper transfers such as exemption forms and record cards the county holds.

Council members and staff said the AAS contract was expected to produce modest savings compared with the worst-case county increase and to allow the city to maintain assessment services without the unplanned $165,000 budget gap Ferndale would have faced under the county’s higher rate. City staff said the proposed AAS arrangement initially reflected about $15,000 in annual savings compared with the budgeted county rate for the current year.

Council discussion also covered continuity and capacity. AAS said it employs 18 full-time and 11 part-time staff and is hiring additional staff, including at least one assessor from the county. AAS described certification requirements (four certification levels in Michigan, recertification hours annually) and said they plan on regular on-site presence and community outreach for board of review periods. City staff noted the contract includes a specified on-site commitment and that the city will monitor performance during the early months.

Next steps: The AAS contract takes effect July 1, 2025. The council’s resolution and the contract approval will be transmitted to Oakland County leadership and are intended to preserve municipal assessment services for Ferndale while pushing the county to re-engage municipalities in any further fee or service changes.

Quotes used in this article come from the meeting transcript and from speakers who addressed the council during the agenda items on the county equalization matter and the assessor contract.