MARBLEHEAD — The Select Board inquired about the relationship between the software vendor that is responsible for the town’s assessment system, Patriot Properties, and the Board of Assessors at a Select Board meeting.
This inquiry followed an incident that caused inaccuracies in the town’s 2024 property evaluations, which led to approximately $541,000 in tax refunds.
Select Board Chair Erin Noonan said she had some concerns about continuing to use Patriot Properties due to software issues in the past.
She asked Board of Assessors Chair John Kelley and member Jonathan Lederman if they bid out the contract to explore other options for the assessment.
Kelley said Patriot Properties has the system and knows the town.
Select Board member Dan Fox asked the assessors whether Patriot Properties should “have some red flags to see what happened last year” if the vendor missed the errors initially.
Kelley said the vendor is not responsible for finding those specific mistakes or making the assessments.
“So they have nothing to do with the assessments,” Fox said. “Where do they come into play?”
Kelley said the vendor is responsible for items like building permits and personal properties, and was not responsible for finding mistakes, to his knowledge.
Noonan said she had some concerns about using Patriot Properties for a second time and offered a second vendor for consideration, Vision.
Lederman said there is “no question” that the Board of Assessors should be procuring the best possible solution.
“Right now, what we need is as much help as we can in getting the fire out,” he said.
Although the boards did not reach a conclusion, Kelley said this issue requires immediate attention.
