Nottingham
Advisory Assessing Committee
Meeting Minutes
May 5th, 2008
Call to order
Chairman of the Advisory Assessing Committee, John McSorley, called to order the meeting of the Advisory Assessing Committee at 7:15pm on May 5th, 2008 in the Nottingham Town Offices.
Roll call
John McSorley, conducted a roll call. The following committee members were present: John McSorley, Lisa Stevens, Andrea Lewy, June Proko, and Jeff Gurrier. The following alternates were present: Skip Seaverns. The following members of the public were present: none.
Approval of minutes from last meeting
By unanimous vote the meeting minutes for the April 7th committee meeting were approved.
The meeting minutes of the April 24th committee meeting were approved by John McSorley, Lisa Stevens, June Proko, and Jeff Gurrier. Andrea Lewy abstained.
Open issues
1) John McSorley provided the committee members with copies of a selection of the IAAO (International Association of Assessing Officers) standards for assessing and appraising. Lisa Stevens provided the group with a copy of the newly drafted NH ASB (New Hampshire Assessing Standards Board) Standards document which, John McSorley explained, is partly based on the IAAO standard. The committee members agreed to read the documents and to be prepared to discuss them at the next meeting.
2) The group discussed the difficulties it faced in determining the scope and presentation method for the tax card education program. Several members expressed a concern that this project would consume a greater amount of time than first expected and would subvert more important business.
It was also discussed that the scope of the problem was not well established and that after residents begin receiving the tax cards in the mail for the first time, the extent of resident’s interest would be better known. After some discussion, Jeff Gurrier moved to table the tax card education project, Andrea Lewy seconded, the motion passed by unanimous vote.
New business
1) A discussion followed about the causes that led to the formation of the Assessing Advisory Committee and how the group could focus their efforts to deal with those issues. It was determined that the contract for outside appraising services was the key document that would guide oversight of the appraising process. The group agreed that a thorough review of the current appraising contract, in the context of the issues that drove the formation of the group, would be the most efficient way to address oversight issues.
John McSorley said he could provide Dept. of Revenue Administration sample contracts (which he said the Town’s new appraisers based their contract on) to assist the group in covering all the pertinent issues. Jeff Gurrier said he would provide a list of the specific issues that residents had about the Pawtuckaway Lake revaluation. Lisa Stevens and Andrea Lewy said they would provide their experience as assessors in other towns to make recommendations about how to avoid common problems.
Jeff Gurrier made a motion that the group reviews the appraisal contract with the goal of identifying key points of oversight and determining where assessing policies might be useful in guiding the town’s assessors. June Proko seconded, the motion passed by unanimous vote. The group agreed to work on this project beginning with the next meeting.
Adjournment
Chairman of the Advisory Assessing Committee, John McSorley, adjourned the meeting at 8:55pm.
Minutes submitted by: Jeff Gurrier
Minutes approved by: By unanimous vote on May 19th, 2008
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