Syracuse assessment staff defends $1.9 million budget ask as revaluation planning continues

Assessment Department presenters told Syracuse City Council members during a budget review session that the department is asking for a $1.9 million operating budget that would support staffing, professional services and a planned citywide revaluation process.

The assessment presenter, identified in the transcript by the first name Matt (Assessment Department presenter; full name not specified in the record), said the department is budgeted for 12 positions and currently has 10 filled. “We have 10 people on staff right now,” Matt said, adding that the front office is fully staffed for the first time since 2017 and that the department serves “literally thousands of our constituents” in person each year.

Why it matters: The department says the requested funds would pay for increased professional services and the operational work needed for a multi-year citywide revaluation (described in the meeting as a competitive RFP-derived contract “not to exceed” $1.8 million). Council members pressed staff on whether the department has the internal capacity to manage the revaluation without hiring an outside project manager.

Officials’ overview and revaluation funding

The budget documents reviewed by Council include a $1.1 million professional-services line that was adopted for FY2025 but largely unspent, and the assessment presenter described a project-cost estimate for the revaluation process of up to $1.8 million after a competitive RFP. The presenter said the department does not expect to spend the full revaluation amount by June 30 of the current fiscal year and described the revaluation as a multi-year effort.

On the professional-services line, Council…