Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Assessor Operations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Charlemont assessors ratify new valuation vendors, seek $14,706 AP5 software upgrade
Summary
At their Jan. 12 meeting the Charlemont Board of Assessors ratified CIDARE & MAK Valuation Consultants for FY2027 services and voted to submit a warrant article requesting $14,706.36 to convert Catalis AssessPro to the AP5 cloud platform, citing improved owner engagement and disaster‑recovery benefits.
The Charlemont Board of Assessors ratified a vendor selection and voted to submit a warrant article to upgrade its property-assessment software at the Jan. 12 meeting.
Chair Karen Rau and board members unanimously ratified a Dec. 1, 2025 decision to hire CIDARE & MAK Valuation Consultants, Inc. to provide valuation services beginning in fiscal 2027. Anthony Ostroski made the ratification motion, Rau seconded, and the board approved it unanimously. The board said the combined vendor quote promises better property‑owner involvement and improved valuation accuracy. The contract will be signed after Annual Town Meeting and town elections when FY2027 funding and elected assessors are finalized.
The board also reviewed a Catalis AP5 conversion quote and authorized filing a capital warrant article for the work. Assessor’s Clerk Carlene Hayden presented the estimate: total conversion costs of $14,706.36 for the AP5 web-enabled CAMA application, the annual software license, and a one-time conversion and training fee. Because the cost exceeds $5,000 the item will be submitted as a capital warrant article for Annual Town Meeting. The board approved signing the warrant article request (motion by Rau, second by Ostroski) by unanimous vote.
Board members said AP5’s cloud-based hosting and hourly backups via Amazon Web Services would improve disaster-recovery options for the assessment database. The board also noted the FY2027 budget request reflects operational savings: a 39% reduction in the appraiser line attributable to special first‑year pricing from the new vendors and an overall 33% reduction in requested expenses compared with the prior year; modest increases were shown for training, supplies/bookbinding, and MAAO dues.
A separate, related item: owner Joel Rice asked for an inspection of 426 Zoar Road; the board scheduled the inspection for the week of April 20 and directed Hayden to notify Mr. Rice.
The contract signing, the warrant article’s town-meeting consideration and the board’s next meeting were the most recent procedural steps: the vendor contract will be executed only after FY2027 funding and elections are complete, and the board is scheduled to meet again Feb. 2, 2026.
