Aquinnah selectmen are considering outsourcing their assistant assessor position, after hearing a presentation from a Leominster firm at a meeting Thursday.
Regional Resource Group president Harald Scheid made a presentation about his company’s services, detailing a list of capabilities that range from on-the-ground assessing to town revaluations to a daily call hot line. He said the company has worked for nearly 30 towns and cities in Massachusetts.
“I know the term is outsourcing, but we prefer to refer to ourselves as town employees with a different relationship,” Mr. Scheid told the selectmen. “Small towns in Massachusetts are our forte.”
The selectmen have a long history of tension with the town assessors, and have clashed often with assistant assessor Angela Cywinski over control and lines of authority. Taxation of a historic church, overtime pay, use of the town off-Island vehicle, and use of town buildings during non-business hours have all been subjects of friction.
Last year, voters agreed to make the board of assessors appointed rather than elected. The board oversees the work of the paid assistant assessor.
“This is just a discussion, no decision,” said chairman of the selectmen Gary Haley Thursday.
Mr. Scheid fielded a volley of questions from the current board of assessors about his company’s prior work and ability to handle a unique waterfront town like Aquinnah.
“I’m just wondering how those people are going to know our community and know our people and know our properties?” said Elise Lebovitch, a member of the board of assessors.
Mr. Scheid said his company has worked in many small towns and that the transition from an in-town assessor to his company is generally smooth. He said his company yields to the practices and needs of the board of assessors.
“There’s always a bit of a courtship in coming into your communities,” Mr. Scheid said. “We tailor make our relationship for every community. It’s not one size fits all.”
Ms. Cywinski, who attended the meeting, expressed skepticism at Mr. Scheid’s cost estimates. He gave an all-inclusive price of $38,400 for assessment services. Ms. Cywinski makes about $67,000 per year.
Mr. Scheid said he used a pricing model that took into account the size of the community, number of parcels, and type of parcels, and from there estimated the number of transactions the town has to process every year. He said that Aquinnah, as a small town with few commercial properties, has very few transactions.
“What you’re seeing here is not necessarily a commitment to being here for 40 hours, it’s what it would take to get the job done,” he said.
Selectmen said they would discuss the presentation and their outsourcing options at the next meeting.
“Thank you for coming out, and thank you for coming all this way,” Mr. Haley said.
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