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Commissioners press assessor on six‑year EagleView pictometry contract and price disclosure
Summary
At the June 2 meeting Porter County commissioners questioned a six‑year pictometry contract presented by the assessor’s office — staff said the county’s annual cost will be $120,664.97 and cited operational reasons for sticking with the vendor; commissioners asked why the county did not rebid and noted the agenda omitted the contract price.
The Porter County Board of Commissioners pressed the assessor’s office on a proposed six‑year agreement with EagleView for county aerial imagery and pictometry during Tuesday’s meeting.
Assessor Sunnap told the board the contract covers countywide imagery and related software used by 79 authorized users across county offices, and that the new annual cost is $120,664.97 — described at the meeting as a roughly 4.5% increase over the previous contract. "This information is invaluable to us," Sunnap said, explaining the imagery supports reassessment work and lets staff check property details without going on private property.
Multiple commissioners questioned why the county is renewing with EagleView instead of soliciting new bids. One commissioner said the county must ensure it is getting "the best bang for our buck" and asked staff to seek competing proposals so the county can compare price and service. Sunnap and staff replied that the pictometry system is tightly integrated with the assessor’s appraisal software and that long lead times and narrow seasonal windows for aerial flights make vendor continuity valuable. Staff also said the county has previously bid this service (in 2020) and that EagleView has provided timeliness and responsiveness the office values.
Commissioners also flagged a procedural issue: the contract price was not listed on the public agenda packet. A commissioner asked that future agenda items include the contract dollar amounts so board members can review costs before the meeting.
Sunnap said the agreement can be canceled if budget conditions change. "If next year something catastrophic happened with our budgets and we said we simply can't do it, we are allowed to not do it," Sunnap said. Commissioners asked staff to collect competing quotes and to return with clearer cost and procurement information before signing a multi‑year commitment.
Next steps: staff will follow up with the board on whether to solicit proposals or provide supplemental procurement documentation; no final, board‑recorded contract award appears in the meeting minutes for this item.
