Hartland faces $245,000 revaluation decision after single bid; residents question bidding process

Hartland selectmen on Nov. 18 reviewed a single bid for a town-wide property revaluation and heard residents press for more competitive pricing.

The selectmen received one proposal from RCS Assessment of Hermon, Maine, for $245,000 to perform a revaluation, and staff noted Tyler Technologies declined to bid. Christopher Littlefield told the board the project had been posted on the Maine Municipal Association website and the town website but produced only one bid and one denial.

Why it matters: a revaluation determines assessed values used to set property tax rates. The board must decide whether to proceed, and if so how to fund an expensive contract.

At the public forum, resident Margaret Greenburg asked whether staff would “call around and get more prices,” saying she worried the town was not getting a full set of bids. "No one else bid because of Hartland’s reputation of not bidding," she said, adding the town should check prices by phone.

Resident Kevin Greenwood responded that the town followed public-bid procedures and that a lack of bids often means other firms have full workloads. "If it went out to bid publicly and no one bid that chances are other firms have enough work," he said. George Greenwood urged staff to focus on productive follow-up rather than post-bid outreach.

Selectmen did not vote on the revaluation at the Nov. 18 meeting; the transcript records discussion of the bid and funding considerations but no formal approval or funding source. The Tyler Technologies letter declining to bid was shared with the board.

Next steps: the selectmen must decide whether to accept RCS Assessment’s proposal, seek additional price information or reissue the request; a follow-up decision date was not specified in the minutes.