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Plaistow seeks interim assessor after long‑time firm gives 30‑day notice
Summary
Town Manager Greg Colby told the Board of Selectmen that Corcoran Consulting Associates gave 30 days' notice and the town issued an RFP; one proposal was received for day‑to‑day services, with options for a 2025 statistical update and a full 2026 revaluation.
Town Manager Greg Colby told the Board of Selectmen on Feb. 10 that Corcoran Consulting Associates, the town’s longtime assessing firm, gave 30 days’ notice that it would stop providing assessing services, leaving the town without assessor coverage after Feb. 11, 2025.
Colby said the town immediately issued a request for proposals for assessing services and received one proposal from a firm based in Haverhill, Massachusetts. "They gave us 30 day notice that they would not be able to provide us with assessing services. The last day of availability for them is tomorrow, 02/11/2025," Colby said. He added the proposal included separate prices for day‑to‑day office services, a statistical update in 2025 and a full revaluation scheduled for 2026.
"We are in the 70 to 72% range," Colby said, describing the town’s assessed‑to‑market ratio and noting that the town is well below the recommended 95–105% range. He said the town had asked proposers to price all three options because the 2026 full revaluation is already planned and a 2025 statistical update had been discussed with town counsel.
Colby said the day‑to‑day services could likely be absorbed within the current budget if the board accepts the proposal, and that the contract with the Haverhill firm would run on a calendar year and start March 1 if the town proceeds. "They're out of Haverhill, Massachusetts," Colby said of the proposer.
Selectmen did not take formal action on Feb. 10; Colby said the board will place the RFP responses on the agenda for its next meeting in two weeks so members can decide before the March 1 start date. He said he planned to contact the proposer that week to confirm availability and next steps.
Background: Colby said the RFP had a Jan. 30 submission date and that Corcoran’s notice prompted multiple communities to scramble for assessing services. Colby described the three pricing elements requested in the RFP — day‑to‑day operations, a 2025 statistical update and a 2026 full revaluation — but the board did not authorize any of those services during the meeting.
What happens next: The selectmen expect to review the single proposal at their next regular meeting, before deciding whether to accept only interim day‑to‑day coverage or to contract for a statistical update or full revaluation as add‑ons.
