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Kalamazoo approves three-year assessing contract with WCA Assessing amid customer-service concerns
Summary
The commission unanimously approved a three‑year, $1,855,321.92 contract with Wayne County Appraisals (WCA Assessing) to serve as assessor of record; commissioners praised continuity but raised customer-service and oversight concerns and asked for performance reviews.
The Kalamazoo City Commission on June 1 approved a three‑year contract with WCA Assessing to provide the city’s assessor-of-record services for $1,855,321.92, a contract staff said preserves continuity and meets state certification requirements.
CFO Steve (finance director) explained the assessor position is an appointed function and that contracting yields a cost saving compared with hiring an in‑house Level Four (master) assessor. "Having this contract in place has allowed us to not have to worry about or deal with issues of turnover," he said, noting state audit results and the firm’s regional staffing capacity.
Aaron Powers, managing director at WCA, described the firm’s role: "We provide the entire assessing function for the city of Kalamazoo, which would be the annual assessment of all real and personal property," he said. Powers said WCA staffs assessor-office employees locally and handles exemptions and tax-roll establishment.
Several commissioners pressed for stronger customer-service performance and oversight. Commissioner Slaby — who said she had earlier asked to pull the item because of a personal customer-service complaint — said she would support approval to avoid a service gap but urged improved processes and accountability. "The customer service experience did not become better until I mentioned I was a city commissioner," she said, and asked administration to require measurable performance outcomes.
City staff told commissioners the charter delegates general supervisory authority over the assessor to the finance director and said the contract includes performance expectations. The city also will undertake an 18‑month review of the contract and consider options, including whether to explore in‑house service in the long term.
The motion to approve the contract carried unanimously on roll call. Staff said the contract term runs from June 1, 2026 through May 31, 2029, and that WCA employees currently work full time at city hall to administer assessing functions locally.
Next steps: administration will set up a process for performance monitoring under the contract and return to the commission with any contractual performance updates or recommended changes.
