Assessor reports new hire and audit plan; mayor’s budget trims administrative assistant
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Summary
Assessor Deb reported a new hire and a planned personal‑property audit; the mayor’s proposed budget trims an administrative assistant position in the assessor’s office, drawing council concern about workload and accuracy of property records.
Deb, the city assessor, told the council on May 28 that the assessor’s office budget includes contractual salary increases and a recently filled assessor position after a vacancy dating to December. She said her largest expense this year is professional assessment services, and that the budget includes a personal‑property audit intended to generate new taxable growth if recoverable assets are identified.
Deb said education funds in the assessor’s budget relate to training for the new assessor and certification of the third‑board member. When councilors pressed about the administrative assistant position, the mayor said the administration trimmed 18 positions across the budget to produce a balanced proposal and that five of those positions had incumbents. The administration characterized the cut as part of an overall exercise to reduce costs and find savings across departments.
Deb described the administrative assistant role as important and said the office had been operating with reduced staff for months: she said the office had been without that particular position for six months while the incumbent was on leave and that the vacancy has increased workload as she trains the new hire while catching up on outstanding business.
Councilors asked about the overlay (the reserve to cover tax abatements and assessment changes). Deb endorsed a $650,000 overlay figure for the coming year and recommended holding it at that level for this budget year, saying overlay needs are determined annually based on abatement filings, tax‑board cases and changes such as new veterans’ exemptions. She said the office’s five‑year recertification last year increased values and drove higher overlay needs at that time.
Councilors who raised staffing concerns suggested the administration may want to revisit the cut if fiscal conditions allow. The mayor said the city would continue to monitor departmental workloads and could consider transfers or supplemental requests later in the year if revenues permit.
