Board agrees on RFP approach and leans toward exterior revaluation to improve assessment data

The Whitefish Bay Village Board on Aug. 4 directed staff to solicit proposals for assessment services when the current contract ends Dec. 31 and signaled support for an exterior revaluation to improve assessment accuracy.

Anna, the village staff member overseeing assessment matters, told the board that last year’s market interim reval left staff and board-of-review members with concerns about data accuracy. "Right now being one year removed from our last reval, we're already sitting at 93%," she said, referring to the assessment-ratio metric that guides compliance. She said some successful board-of-review appeals cited incorrect or outdated data as a reason for decisions.

Staff proposed issuing an RFP with a base scope (the preferred option suggested: exterior revaluation) and alternates to allow bidders to price an interior/full reval for comparison. The board discussed frequency and cadence; several members favored an odd-year schedule and a regular review cycle rather than waiting until the ratio exceeds the statutory tolerance.

Board members noted the limited market for assessors and the trade-off between accuracy and cost. Staff suggested including alternates in the RFP so the village can compare prices for interim market updates, exterior revals and full revals; members agreed an exterior reval would likely provide solid improvement over the current method while avoiding the logistical and resident-consent challenges of a full interior survey.

Staff will proceed with the RFP using exterior reval as the base scope with alternates for fuller options and will return with recommended contract language and estimated costs.