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Lewis County to stop providing town assessment services; county position to be removed when vacant
Summary
After discussing contracting demand and staffing constraints, the Lewis County Legislature voted to discontinue assessment services to towns and directed that the county assessor position not be refilled when vacated.
Lewis County legislators voted to discontinue providing contracted assessment services to towns and directed that the county assessor position not be refilled when it becomes vacant, following a presentation on staffing and market dynamics.
Candy Aiken, county assessment office staff, told legislators the county has received interest from multiple towns wanting to contract for county assessing services but said the county currently lacks a certified assessor after the county's contracted assessor submitted a resignation. Aiken said town assessors commonly serve multiple municipalities and can earn substantially more by contracting directly with towns than by taking a single county position.
Why it matters: The resolution ends a shared-service option towns had been pursuing with the county assessor's office and will shift how small towns procure reassessment and data-collection services. Aiken said the county will continue data-collection services where it already provides them but that full assessor contracts require a certified appointee available under a six-year appointment term.
Discussion: Aiken said one internal candidate was interested in obtaining assessor certification but would not be able to meet the six-month certification requirement to serve as an acting assessor if contracted town services began immediately. She warned of the risk that county-paid training could produce assessors who then choose higher-paying town contracts outside the county. One legislator noted the political sensitivity when towns conduct a revaluation after a long interval and that residents often direct complaints at county officials even when the assessor is appointed by a town.
Legislative action: The legislature approved a resolution to discontinue assessment services to towns and districts and directed that the county position not be refilled when vacated. The motion carried by voice vote with no recorded nays in the meeting transcript.
Ending: County staff said they will continue limited data-collection contracts (for example, with the Town of Diana) but will pause broader assessor-contract expansion pending future direction from the legislature.
