Selectmen stick with Vision Appraisal for latest property revaluation

WINSTED — After a bidding process that ended in May, the Board of Selectmen chose Vision Appraisal over two other property revaluation companies at a meeting on Monday, June 20.The company provides appraisal services and software to towns and cities in eight states. Vision Appraisal serves 78 towns in Connecticut, including Winsted, Barkhamsted, Colebrook, North Canaan, Kent, New Hartford, Norfolk and Sharon.At a meeting in March, Tax Assessor Janice McKie requested that the town not put property revaluation services out to bid and instead stay with the company, which has been appraising the town’s properties since 2003.Instead, the selectmen put the revaluation contract out to bid.Besides Vision Appraisal, only two other companies put in bids for the contract: Tyler Technologies and Municipal Valuation Services.The bids were broken down in two categories — an Option A, which included an inspection of all physical improvements, and an Option B, which utilized mail surveys to acquire preliminary information and subsequent physical inspections when warranted.For Option A, Vision Appraisal came in with a bid of $190,000, Tyler Technologies bid $204,600 and Municipal Valuation Services bid $232,000.For Option B, Tyler Technologies was the lowest with $125,400, Vision Appraisal bid $140,000 and Municipal Valuation Services bid $157,000.Despite Tyler Technologies’ low bid for Option B, the selectmen voted unanimously to choose Vision Appraisal based on Town Manager Dale Martin’s and McKie’s recommendations.“Despite Tyler Technologies’ lower proposal, additional costs to the town are not included in their proposal,” Martin said.In a memo given to the selectmen, McKie listed several reasons the selectmen should pick Vision Appraisal.“The town will not need any additional Oracle licenses if Vision completes the valuation work,” McKie wrote in her memo. “The town would need to purchase two additional Oracle licenses for Tyler at $800 per workstation. In addition, Vision Maintenance would increase $1,250 for the two additional installed seats for Tyler.”Oracle is a database management software system used by the town.Winchester Taxpayer’s Association President David LaPointe, who loudly opposed the town re-signing its contract with Vision Appraisal at a meeting in March, said he is not happy that the selectmen chose the company.“Once again, here we go,” LaPointe said. “Vision Appraisal was wrong not only the first time they conducted property evaluations, but also the last time around. So if Vision comes in a third time and says, ‘Wow! Your property value has increased by $20,000 or $30,000,’ they better have a good reason why.”In her memo, McKie wrote that Vision Appraisal did not have to deal with any court cases brought from property owners the last two times they conducted property evaluations.“Yeah, right,” LaPointe said. “There were court cases, except they all settled them out of court. I just think they should have gone with a lower bid and given another company an opportunity to provide the assessment services Winsted requires.”

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