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Assessor outlines software purchase to cut duplicate work and defends annual reassessment program
Summary
Assessor Edie McCarthy told the board the assessor's office needs staff and software to handle heavy small‑claims filings and to finish a 100% reassessment; she gave a cost breakdown for the proposed software package and described why cyclical reassessments were adopted.
Assessor Edie McCarthy (speaker 13) told the Greenburgh town board that turnover in her office and a surge in filings require additional part‑time staffing and a software package to reduce duplicate data entry between field inventory and court preparation. She said the 2026 departmental increase is modest overall—about $32,000—and cited specific implementation costs for one software option: an immediate purchase phase of about $16,000, $10,000 for maintenance and $6,000 for setup, with a second phase of roughly $20,000 proposed in 2026.
Why it matters: The assessor's office administers property assessments that feed into tax bills and appealed assessments; the office's ability to process filings and maintain an accurate inventory affects fairness in valuations and taxpayer confidence.
Details from the hearing: McCarthy said the higher part‑time line reflects staff shortages during an intense filing season and the need to process roughly 1,200 small‑claims petitions and other paperwork. She described the software as a tool to let current systems communicate and to allow taxpayers more online self‑service rather than in‑person visits.
On reassessments, McCarthy defended the town's policy of regular reassessment to correct historic inequities, saying the previous cycles produced widely inaccurate assessments in some neighborhoods and that 100% cyclical reassessments bring valuations closer to market reality.
Next steps: The assessor will continue evaluating software vendors and provide more precise procurement details; she indicated some grant or budget phasing may be used to spread costs.
Ending: No procurement approval was voted at the hearing; the assessor requested the board's support in the upcoming budget process.
