Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Assessments Software topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sheboygan committee approves move to in-house property assessment and purchase of new assessment software
Summary
The committee approved bringing property assessment services in-house — adding staff positions to the Finance Department — and approved a contract with Catalyst (Patriot/CAMA AP5) for assessment software; staff cited implementation costs of $71,000 and an annual subscription of about $25,000.
The Sheboygan City committee approved two linked measures to bring property assessment services in-house and to purchase new assessment software.
Staff explained the city plans to recruit for assessor positions and assign them to the Finance Department so the city can perform assessments directly rather than relying on an outside provider. Staff characterized the change as a cost-savings over time and an improved service for constituents; the proposed table of organization would establish up to three new assessor positions, though hiring will be phased.
City Administrator Bradley outlined that an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Plymouth will share costs based on parcel count. When asked how costs would be divided, staff said the distribution formula is defined in prior council action and will be adjusted annually based on parcel counts.
On a related agenda item, Finance Director Kruger and staff recommended purchasing the Catalyst (Patriot/CAMA AP5) assessment software after evaluating multiple vendors. Staff provided an implementation cost of $71,000 and an anticipated annual subscription of $25,000. For accounting purposes the committee was asked to approve roughly half a year of subscription expense for the current fiscal year; staff said vendor support and references informed the recommendation.
A council member raised concerns about the five-year contract term and the need to build IT support capacity; staff said IT would have an internal subject-matter expert and that vendor support is expected during implementation. Both the staffing and software resolutions were moved and approved by voice vote.
Staff said the hiring and software implementation will be phased, with one assessor to be hired initially to prepare the system for the 2027 assessment roll.
