Commission tables decision on assessing services amid Oakland County rate dispute; special meeting set for July 1

The Huntington Woods City Commission on June 17 tabled a vote on a proposed three-year contract for assessing services with Wayne County Appraisal (WCA), citing unresolved questions about a parallel Oakland County decision that would have sharply increased the city’s assessing costs.

Item background: the county had proposed a roughly 110% increase to its assessing charges, prompting the city to solicit alternative bids. The city received proposals from Oakland County, WCA and another private vendor (AAS). Commission discussion focused on the scale of the county increase, how the county calculated “indirect” costs, and the financial and operational risk of switching vendors before the county issue is resolved.

City Manager Matt Zalewski told the commission WCA’s three-year proposal would cost the city substantially less than the county’s figure. He cited a three-year county bill of roughly $107,000 versus WCA’s quoted totals of approximately $51,185 (year one), $53,744 (year two) and $56,431 (year three). Commissioners also cited audit findings in other jurisdictions showing missing taxable value in some county audits and questioned the county’s uniform per-parcel approach.

Several commissioners urged patience to allow a county-created municipal committee — including municipal and county representatives — to review the county’s rate methodology. Commissioner Roselle (who volunteered to serve on the committee) said the group should be able to report back within weeks; others worried WCA or other vendors might withdraw an offer if the city delayed. City staff said WCA had not included an expiration date in the written proposal and that WCA had taken a cautious approach to expanding in Oakland County.

Motion and outcome: a motion to table the contract and schedule a special meeting for July 1 carried 3–2. The commission directed the city manager to call WCA immediately to assess whether WCA will hold its proposal and to request a 60-day contract-extension option from the county to preserve the city’s ability to delay without penalty. The commission also instructed staff to place both a potential county extension and the WCA contract on the special-meeting agenda so the body can act on either or both items.

Next steps: the city manager said he will contact WCA and the county the next day, request the county extension (no-charge 60-day extension previously granted by the county in similar circumstances) and report back to the commission before the July 1 special meeting. If the municipal committee does not produce a satisfactory change in county rates by the end of June, commissioners signaled they might approve a vendor contract in July.

The tabling preserves the city’s options: accepting a private vendor at a lower cost or continuing with the county at a substantially higher price if no alternative is available.