News, Waterford

Affiliated chosen to replace Associated Appraisal

By Dave Fidlin

CORRESPONDENT

A local assessor with more than two decades of experience under his belt is being handed a five-year contract in the Village of Waterford.

After receiving a favorable recommendation from the village Finance Committee, elected officials on May 9 voted unanimously in favor of appointing Dan McHugh and his Burlington-based firm, Affiliated Property Valuation Services, to the assessment position.

Plans call for drawing up a formal contract within the next month. Tentatively, McHugh’s small firm could receive $67,500 over a five-year period that begins in January.

The village’s contract with its longtime assessor, Appleton-based Associated Appraisal, is winding to a close after a rocky re-evaluation that occurred last year and spilled into the early months of this year.

The Village Board last month notified Associated staffers the community was not going to renew its agreement when the current contract period ended.

While an assessor’s role is generally most pronounced during large-scale re-evaluations, communities employ or contract with experts annually for smaller projects, including assessing new developments.

The village had sent out a request for proposals (RFP) with the end of Associated’s current contract looming.

McHugh’s Affiliated was one of three firms interviewed by the Finance Committee. He submitted the lowest base bid.

The other assessors in the running included Menasha-based Accurate Appraisal, at $82,500 over five years, and West Allis-based Tyler Technologies, at $99,300 for the five-year period.

Trustee Jim Schneider, who sits on the Finance Committee, said he and other members of the panel were giving several reasons for their recommendation — and they extend beyond the price quote.

Speaking of McHugh, Schneider said, “He really understands this business, we felt. We were all comfortable with what we heard.”

Affiliated Appraisal currently provides services to three municipalities: the villages of Mount Pleasant and Plover and the Town of LaPrairie.

McHugh’s firm also has stepped in from time-to-time to help other assessors with limited-range projects, including one in the Village of Union Grove.

The Village of Waterford is still reeling from last year’s re-evaluation, where some property owners received sizable increases when tax bills arrived in December.

The board itself has asserted Associated did not uphold its end of the bargain by inspecting only a fraction of the interior of homes.

The fact McHugh’s company is based in nearby Burlington brought comfort to several board members when the proposal was discussed this week.

“I think there’s a sense we have to keep a little closer eye on this (appraisals and re-evaluations) in the future,” Schneider said.

Trustee Don Houston said he believed McHugh’s local ties could be a benefit to the Village of Waterford.

“I think it’s a lot better to have someone local — someone who knows this community,” Houston said.

Prior to voting to issue McHugh a contract, elected officials said they would like him to make a public appearance at one of the two Village Board meetings in June so officials can have a dialogue with him.

“Whether we like to do it or not, I think we have some fence mending to do here,” Village President Tom Roanhouse said of the board’s relationship with the community. “It would be great to meet with (McHugh).”

One Comment

  1. Village Bunglers

    The best fence mending for the village would be for Roanhouse and his cronies to be recalled! The financial mess they have created will resonate for years to come.