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Resident warns against outsourcing assessor's office, cites service and certification concerns
Summary
A resident urged the committee to avoid outsourcing the assessor's office, arguing that outsourcing could cost more and erode service. He emphasized the need for certified staff and said the state places mandates on reassessment work.
A public commenter urged the city to think carefully before outsourcing the assessor's office, saying doing so has produced negative results elsewhere and could raise costs and reduce service quality for residents.
"Doing away with that is not — outsourcing is gonna cost more," Patrick Shea told the committee, urging investment in in‑house staffing for assessment, tax collection and finance functions. Shea emphasized that assessing individual properties requires time and skill and that certified assessors are required by state rules. "It takes a long time to do an assessment just on 1 piece of property," he said, and noted that the city has seen turnover among assistant assessors.
Shea said other municipalities that outsourced similar work have returned to maintaining their own assessor offices. He recommended careful study because reassessment and compliance with state mandates affect property transfers, probate and tax administration. No formal motion or policy change on assessor staffing was recorded during the meeting.
