Assessor warns proposed cuts would cripple Middletown valuation office

Damon Brush, the City of Middletown assessor, told the council his office cannot absorb the mayor’s proposed 5% reduction without jeopardizing core functions and public service. "If we were to do a 5% reduction...the only way that I could do it would be to remove one line item, which is for audits," Brush said, adding that audits typically return more revenue than they cost.

Brush said non-salary contractual obligations—software licensing and vendor services—consume roughly $50,000 of a non-salary base of about $76,437, leaving roughly $29,000 that is effectively discretionary. He warned that to reach a 5% cut he would need roughly a $10,000 reduction after accounting for recent $6,200 contractual increases, and that cutting staff now would be "devastating" given heavy annual demand: over 8,000 phone calls and some 8,500 emails handled by the office.

Brush also asked the council to fund start-up costs for the mandated 2027 revaluation, requesting $200,000 to begin contracting and planning work for that multi-year project. He noted the assessor’s office processes thousands of motor-vehicle records and handles more than 1,600 prorates annually, arguing the workload and a long-vacant assistant assessor post (vacant for two decades) make further position cuts unrealistic.

Council members pressed for underlying figures on appeals and grand-list impacts; Brush said he would provide detailed documentation after the workshop, noting one active appeal seeks about an $8 million reduction and that large deferrals and abatements have reduced the city's taxable base in specific cases. The council did not take formal action at the workshop; Brush said he would follow up with supporting spreadsheets for the record.