Lakeville charts next steps to hire new assessor

LAKEVILLE — As Lakeville nears the end of its contract with Regional Resource Group, the firm in charge of the town’s real estate assessments, town officials are charting next steps. 

The Select Board deliberated once again whether to hire a principal assessor that would work solely for the town or put together another bid for an outside firm to do the work at its meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 24. 

The town has been working with a contractor for nine years, according to board members. 

Lakeville made the move to hire a contractor after experiencing high turnover with an in-house position, said Select Board Vice Chair Lia Fabian. 

Regional Resource Group’s contract ends December 30, said Interim Town Administrator Robert Nunes. 

Nunes urged the board to cast a wide net and look into posting a position for a principal assessor and  put together a request for proposal for an outside firm. 

He recalled the “$717,000 issue” the town is facing as a result of the property reclassification error made by Regional Resource Group over the summer. 

In regards to that error, he stated: “We’re doing our best to issue refunds but … don’t know if we’ll be able to accomplish that.”

The Select Board hasn’t received any recommendations from the Board of Assessor’s on how to proceed with this matter, Nunes said. 

Select Board Chair Lorraine Carboni noted that hiring a principal assessor “would create a more solidified vehicle of communication among the offices.” 

Members agreed that having an individual in the office more than once a week, as stipulated by the current contract, would be beneficial. 

Member Fabian expressed concerns about the town’s ability to fund a full-time position with benefits. 

She noted subsequently however that in the event of an error being made with property tax calculations, a town employee would likely have “way more accountability.”

The board ultimately decided to simultaneously work on drafting a job posting for a principal assessor’s position and a request for proposal to go out for a bid. 

These documents will be discussed at the board’s next meeting on Monday, Oct.7.