2019 Assessor FINAL.pdf

07/16/2019 9:34 AM

CITY OF ONALASKA

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

RFP #: 19-Finance 01

Title: City Assessing Services

Department: Finance Department

Due Date: August 23, 2019 at 4:00 p.m.

07/16/2019 12:52 PM 2

Table of Contents

I. NOTICE TO PROPOSERS

A. Summary

B. Important Dates

C. How to Submit a Proposal

D. Contact Information

E. Inquiries, Clarification & Exceptions

F. Addenda

G. Bid Distribution Networks

H. Oral Presentations/Site Visits/Meetings

I. Acceptance/Rejection/Withdrawal of Proposals

J. Public Records Notice

K. Tax Exempt

L. Terms of Contract

M. Cancellation/Termination of Contract

N. Evaluation Process and Scoring

O. Insurance and Indemnification Requirements

II. DESCRIPTION OF RFP

III. REQUIRED INFORMATION

07/16/2019 12:52 PM 3

I. NOTICE TO PROPOSERS

A. Summary The City of Onalaska department of Finance Department is soliciting proposals from qualified vendors for property tax assessment services on real and personal property located in the City of Onalaska. Onalaska is a city of approximately 18,788 residents located in La Crosse County Wisconsin. It currently has 6,271 parcels with a 2019 taxable value of approximately $2.0 billion.

All information pertaining to the proposer’s technical and management approach to completing this project as well as the proposed cost, timetable and staffing plan shall be presented in the proposal.

The City owns a license for Market Drive computer aided mass appraisal software. The proposer shall demonstrate an ability to work with the Market Drive system by submitting information pertaining to other projects for which the contractor has used this software.

Vendors submitting proposals are required to read this Request for Proposals (“RFP”) in its entirety and follow the instructions contained herein.

B. Important Dates Deliver proposals no later than the due time and date indicated below. The City will reject late proposals:

Issue Date: July 19, 2019 Questions Issue Date: July 26, 2019 Answers Posted Date: August 16, 2019 Due Date: August 23, 2019, 4:00 PM CST

C. How to Submit a Proposal

Submit all required documentation in a sealed envelope clearly marked as to the contents.

Hardcopy proposals typed and securely bound on 8.5 by 11-inch paper, otherwise identical to the electronic version (if applicable).

All proposal costs are the expense of the proposer. The City will not consider illegible proposals.

Elaborate proposals beyond that sufficient to present a complete and effective proposal, are not necessary or desired.

Complete and return Forms A through F to City of Onalaska Finance Office by August 23, 2019, 4:00 PM CST.

All proposals must be clearly labeled:

Proposer’s Name and Address RFP #: 19-Finance01 Title: City Assessing Services Due: August 23, 2019, 4:00 PM CST

07/16/2019 12:52 PM 4

All email correspondence must include RFP # in the subject line.

Delivery of hard copies to: City of Onalaska Finance Office 415 Main Street Onalaska, WI. 54650

Proposals must be delivered as instructed. Deliveries to other City departments and/or locations may result in disqualification.

Note: When mailing your response via a third party delivery service, the outside of the packaging MUST be clearly marked with the RFP name and number. This ensures that the bid can be delivered to the correct purchasing agent without having to open the bid.

D. Contact Information

The City of Onalaska is the procuring agency and any notices shall be sent to:

Fred Buehler City of Onalaska Finance Department 415 Main Street Onalaska, WI. 54650 Phone: (608) 781-9530 Fax: (608) 781-9534 fbuheler@onalaskawi.gov

E. Inquiries, Clarification & Exceptions

Proposers are to raise any questions they have about the RFP document without delay. Direct all questions, in writing, to the department contact listed above in section D.

Proposers finding any significant ambiguity, error, conflict, discrepancy, omission, or other deficiency in this RFP document shall immediately notify the buyer and request clarification. In the event that it is necessary to provide additional clarification or revision to the RFP, the City will post addenda – see Addenda below. Proposers are strongly encouraged to check for addenda regularly.

Proposals should be as responsive as possible to the provisions stated herein. A Proposer may take “exception” to bid terms, conditions, specifications and dates stated within the bid package.

F. Addenda

In the event that it is necessary to provide additional clarification or revision to the RFP, the City will post addenda to the same website as the original distribution – see G below. It is the proposer’s responsibility to regularly monitor the website for any such postings. Proposers must acknowledge mailto:fbuheler@onalaskawi.gov

07/16/2019 12:52 PM 5

the receipt of any addenda on Form B. Failure to retrieve addenda and include their provisions may result in disqualification.

G. Bid Distribution Networks

The City of Onalaska posts all Request for Proposals, addenda, tabulations, awards and related announcements on the distribution network – VendorNet as well as applicable professional organizations. The aforementioned documents are available from the Vendornet website. It is the proposer’s responsibility to regularly monitor the bid distribution network for any such postings.

Vendornet offers free registration to City Proposers.

State of Wisconsin VendorNet System: State of Wisconsin and local agencies bid network.

Registration is free. http://vendornet.state.wi.us/vendornet

H. Oral Presentations/Site Visits/Meetings

Proposers may be asked to attend meetings, make oral presentations, inspect City locations or make their facilities available for a site inspection as part of this RFP process. Such presentations, meetings or site visits will be at the proposer’s expense.

I. Acceptance/Rejection/Withdrawal of Proposals

The City reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals submitted, in whole or in part, and to waive any informalities or technicalities, which at the City’s discretion is determined to be in the best interests of the City. Further, the City makes no representations that a contract will be awarded to any proposer responding to this request. The City expressly reserves the right to reject any and all proposals responding to this invitation without indicating any reasons for such rejection(s).

J. Public Records Notice

Proposers are hereby notified that all information submitted in response to this RFP may be made available for public inspection according to the Public Records Law of the State of Wisconsin or other applicable public record laws. Information qualifying as a “trade secret” – defined in State of Wisconsin Statues – may be held confidential.

Proposers shall separately and clearly identify all information they deem to be “trade secrets”, as defined in the State of Wisconsin Statutes. Do not duplicate or co-mingle information deemed confidential and sealed, elsewhere in your response.

S. 19.36(5)

(5) TRADE SECRETS. An authority may withhold access to any record or portion of a record containing information qualifying as a trade secret as defined in s. 134.90(1)(c).

S. 134.90(1)(c)

(c) “Trade secret” means information, including a formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method, technique or process to which all of the following apply:

http://vendornet.state.wi.us/vendornet

07/16/2019 12:52 PM 6

1. The information derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by, other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use.

2. The information is the subject of efforts to maintain its secrecy that are reasonable under the circumstances.

The City cannot ensure that information will not be subject to release if a request is made under applicable public records laws. The City cannot consider the following confidential: a bid in its entirety, price bid information, or the entire contents of any resulting contract. The City will not provide advance notice to proposers prior to release of any requested record.

To the extent permitted by such laws, it is the intention of the City to withhold the contents of proposals from public view – until such times as competitive or bargaining reasons no longer require non-disclosure, in the City’s opinion. At that time, all proposals will be available for review in accordance with such laws.

K. Tax Exempt

The City of Onalaska as a municipality is exempt from payment of federal excise taxes and State of Wisconsin taxes per Wisconsin statue 77.54(9a). Federal Tax ID #39-6005562. A completed Wisconsin Department of Revenue Form S-211 (R.2-00) can be found on the City website. Our tax-exempt number is ES 44929.

L. Terms of Contract

1. Term of Contract – The term of the contract shall be for a (5) year period to commence on: January 1, 2020, ending on December 31, 2024.

2. Option to Extend – The City of Onalaska reserves the right to extend the contract for one (1) additional year, upon the same or more favorable terms and conditions, and under mutual agreement of both parties.

3. Contract Extension Pricing – Contract prices on an extended contract will be adjusted (escalated or deescalated) based upon the average annual change in the Consumer Index for “All Items” published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) (Table 1A. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): U.S.

city average, by expenditure category and commodity and service group, Expenditure Category “All Items”). The CPI-U value is published by the BLS at its website: http://www.bls.gov/cpi/news.htm

The City of Onalaska reserves the right to discontinue the contract’s remaining option year and may elect to re-advertise the contract in whole or in part when changes in prices are not mutually acceptable between the contractor and the City.

Any and all changes to the contract terms and conditions shall be evidenced in writing by amending/modifying the contract.

4. Subcontracting Regulations – Successful vendor(s) will not be permitted to sublet, sell, transfer, assign or otherwise dispose of the contract or any portion therein, or its right, title or interest in, to any person, vendor or corporation without the prior http://www.bls.gov/cpi/news.htm

07/16/2019 12:52 PM 7

written consent of the City of Onalaska which may be granted or withheld in the City’s sole discretion.

5. The form of Contract is attached hereto as Appendix A.

M. Cancellation/Termination of Contract

The City of Onalaska may terminate the contract at any time at its sole discretion by delivering 30 days written notice to the contractor. Upon termination, the agency’s liability will be limited to the pro rata cost of the services performed as of the date of termination plus expenses incurred with the prior written approval of the agency. In the event that the contractor terminates the contract, for any reason whatsoever, it will refund to the agency within 30 days of said termination, all payments made hereunder by the agency to the contractor for work not completed or not accepted by the agency. Such termination will require written notice to that effect to be delivered by the contractor to the agency not less than 30 days prior to said termination.

N. Evaluation Process and Scoring

The RFP will be reviewed by the Evaluation Panel. The City Administrator will oversee the evaluation process to ensure fairness within the process.

Each proposal will be evaluated as described below and assigned an overall score ranking.

Major Criteria Categories Point Weight Level of Service, Responsiveness to Proposal Requirements 15 Cost of Assessment Services 35 Relevant Industry/Experience 15 Use of Technology; Experience with Market Drive 15 Availability of Reports and Other data 10 Demonstrations and/or References 10

TOTAL 100

O. Insurance and Indemnification Requirements

Insurance coverage shall be in place prior to commencing work and shall remain in force until the entire project is completed or the length of time that is specified in the contract. See Form E for requirements.

II. DESCRIPTION OF RFP

The City of Onalaska is seeking proposals from qualified assessment firms/individuals to provide annual assessment services for the City of Onalaska for the 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 assessment rolls.

07/16/2019 12:52 PM 8

Appraiser shall conduct a Computerized Market Value Update no later than 2022 at the request of the City. The City and Assessor agree that if the assessed values in any year (excluding new construction) are not within 7% of equalized value in the following year, the following year is the proper year for a Computerized Market Update. The Assessor agrees that the City must deem the market update to be in their best interest if the assessed values are within 7% of equalized value.

The Computerized Market Update will recalculate to 100% of market value for all locally assessed parcels in the City.

BACKGROUND

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Count Count Count Count Count Count Count TIF

Residential Properties # Improved 5158 5212 5252 5312 5337 5382 5399

#Parcels 5529 5575 5575 5585 5579 5607 5611 1

Commerical Properties # Improved 456 464 471 482 483 479 482

#Parcels 563 575 577 578 575 564 578

Manufacturing Properties # Improved 13 13 13 11 11 11 11

# Parcels 16 16 16 14 14 14 14

Agricultural Properties # Land Only 19 18 18 18 16 16 14

Swamp/Waste # Parcels 38 39 39 45 44 45 38

Forest (including Ag Forest) # Parcels 19 18 18 15 15 15 15

Other # Parcels 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

829 843 875 908 924 879 867

Manufacturing Personal Property 11 10

372 372

Number Valuation Number Valuation Number Valuation Number Valuation Number Valuation

443 42,926,863$ 372 54,829,139$ 309 28,722,247$ 305 33,246,287$ 287 48,224,500$

City of Onalaska Number of Assessment Parcels

Personal Property (# Parcels)

REAL ESTATE

Exempt Property (Not to be included)

2019 Est.

City of Onalaska Number of Building Permits 2014 2015 2016 2017

• The City has one Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district which is TIF #5. (signal parcel)

• The City uses Market Drive CAMA software.

07/16/2019 12:52 PM 9

SCOPE OF WORK

Reporting to the Financial Services Director/Treasurer, the selected firm will provide the following, contractual services to the City. The services to be provided are as follows:

A. The assessor will perform all of the work required to properly and professionally assess the real and personal property of the City in accordance with applicable Wisconsin State Statutes and in full compliance with all rules and regulations officially adopted and promulgated by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, including the Wisconsin Property Assessment Manual. The individual assigned to perform this work shall be certified (at a minimum) Assessor Level II. The individual designated as such should be available to the City for the entire contract. Should there be a reassignment, that person shall be replaced by an equally qualified individual, subject to review and approval by the City.

B.

Measures, lists, photographs, sketches, inspects and establishes assessed values for residential properties.

Updates and enters data from inspections into computer assisted mass appraisal system.

Compiles data and prepares the information for establishing and substantiating the assessed value.

Reviews and performs analysis on residential properties that recently sold.

Reviews and investigates building permits and compiles data for reassessment and property record update.

Classifies property according to property class, conducting field reviews as needed.

Conducts Open Book meetings with property owners to provide information and explain the assessment process.

C.

The Assessor shall report to and be accountable to the Financial Services Director/Treasurer or his/her designee. The assessor shall meet with the Financial Services Director/Treasurer or his/her designee on a regular (minimum monthly) basis to discuss the progress of the work and to review the data and the reports completed. The City reserves the right to inspect the data and the progress of the work performed at any time without limitation.

D. The assessor shall maintain office hours at Onalaska City Hall, 415 Main Street, Onalaska WI, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday & Wednesday and 9:00 am to 12:00 pm on Friday (in addition to the requirements identified in paragraph W). The number of days for Open Book Conferences shall be a minimum of three (3) days on maintenance/inspection years and a minimum of ten (10) days during revaluation year, including at least one Saturday and shall be considered as the standard specification for which the appraiser shall receive no additional compensation.

E. During office hours, the assessor may be responsible for:

1. Answering routine telephone calls

2. Walk-in requests for assessment data

3. Assist in scheduling assessment-related appointments

07/16/2019 12:52 PM 10

4. Providing copies of all assessment-related appointments

5. Filing of all assessment property records cards and any other assessment-related records.

6. Assessment data entry.

F. The assessor will provide a local phone number or an“800” number if long distance is required for City officials and property owners to contact the assessor during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, and will use reasonable efforts to return calls within twenty-four (24) hours.

G. The assessor will field review and assess partial construction as of January 1st of the previous year, for all commercial properties as well as those residential properties. (All Class Codes)

H. The assessor will perform all interior inspections on all newly constructed properties including any additions, remodels or alterations to existing facilities, for all commercial properties as well as those residential properties assigned to the assessor.

I. The assessor will field visit and measure all commercial and residential properties assigned to him/her that have building permits for exterior remodeling and for detached buildings and decks, air conditioning and other miscellaneous permits.

J. The assessor will field review, as deemed necessary, commercial and residential sale properties as well as commercial and residential properties for which no building permit has been issued.

K. The assessor and/or property appraiser will be diligent in discovering and assessing all personal property. Assessor and/or property appraiser will field visit all personal property accounts annually to discover new accounts and account for businesses that may have closed prior to the assessment year. Assessor and/or property appraiser will cross reference personal property account with the corresponding real property and parcel number.

L. The assessor and/or property appraiser will mail out state-approved Personal Property Forms to all holders of personal property in the City by January 15th of each year, audit the returned forms, and place the new values in the assessment roll. Assessor and/or property appraiser will collect the name and address of each personal property contact person, separate from the business name. The assessor shall provide a doomage listing to the Financial Services Director/Treasurer or his/her designee prior to open book review.

M. The assessor and/or property appraiser will account for all buildings destroyed or demolished.

N. The assessor will implement use value assessments of agricultural lands per specifications set forth by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue.

07/16/2019 12:52 PM 11

O. The assessor will be responsible for determining whether an organization or individual meets the requirements for exemption in determining a property’s tax exempt status.

Notify the Financial Services Director/Treasurer or his/her designee of any changes during the year.

P. The assessor and /or property appraiser will take digital photographs of new construction on or about January 1st annually, and also during the review process, if needed.

Q. The assessor will maintain and annually update property owner lists with current name and address changes.

R. The assessor will post assessments to real estate transfer returns and record sale information to property record cards electronically.

S. The assessor will annually update all property owner record cards with new legal descriptions electronically.

T. The assessor will be responsible for maintaining plat and section/cadastral maps on file and update yearly.

U. The assessor and/or property appraiser will mail Notice of Assessment to property owners and others as required by State Statutes.

V. The assessor will conduct open book sessions in accordance with Wisconsin State Statutes. Assessor shall prepare a written statement regarding open book dates, times, and instructions on how to set up an appointment for an open book session, at least fifteen (15) days prior to the first open book session. The assessor shall notify the City Clerk and Financial Services Director/Treasurer and his/her designee the timeline for Open Book. Regular Open Book deadline is on or before April 20th of each year and July 15th on revaluation year.

W. The assessor will be responsible for preparing for the annual Board of Review hearing proceedings as required by State Statutes prior to May of each year. The assessor shall work with the City Clerk to arrange for the hearings. The assessor will attend the Board of Review hearings, serve as City Staff at the hearings, and defend the assessor’s valuations and work products. The assessor will promptly and adequately follow up and respond to any appeals made at the Board of Review hearing, incorporating assessment modifications as approved.

X. The assessor shall update the City’s assessment computer records within fourteen (14) days of the final adjournment of the Board of Review.

Y. The assessor will be responsible for providing the Wisconsin Department of Revenue with final reports as required by the DOR.

Z. The assessor will coordinate with the La Crosse County Real Property Listing office to facilitate the digital and manual transfer of data and values.

07/16/2019 12:52 PM 12

AA. The assessor shall provide the City with the link to place the computer property assessment records on the City’s website for access to the public.

BB. The assessor shall also perform all other duties incidental to the normal duties of the assessor.

CC. The assessor will be required to provide 100% performance bond or stand-by letter of credit to the City prior to the start of the contract in the amount of the full contract price.

DD. All assessment files and records created and data collected by the assessor shall remain the property of the City. Records shall not be removed from City premises without the permission of the City.

EE. The assessor shall be available to attend, upon the request of the Financial Services

Director/Treasurer and his/her designee, City Council meetings or other prescribed meetings upon reasonable prior notice.

FF. The assessor shall communicate openly and in a timely manner with proper City personnel and the public regarding assessment matters. The assessor is encouraged to interface with the community and the media to provide greater clarity of the assessor’s role in the property taxation and valuation process.

GG. The assessor is expected to present a positive, professional image and conduct while interfacing with City staff and the public.

HH. All assessment personnel shall carry proper City photo identification to assure the public of their identity and purpose for gaining access to private property.

II. All personnel providing services requiring Wisconsin Department of Revenue

Certificates shall be currently certified in compliance with Wisconsin Statute 70 and Administrative Rules of the Wisconsin Department of Revenue.

JJ. The assessor will provide and update the City with a listing of all personnel assigned. All personnel shall be approved by the City. Copies of each employee’s certification shall be supplied to the City.

KK. The assessor shall review any complaint relative to the conduct of his/her employee(s). If the City deems the performance of any of the assessor’s employees to be unsatisfactory, the assessor shall remove such employee(s) from working on City assessment matters.

LL. The assessor shall be responsible for the proper completion of the assessment roll in accordance with Wisconsin State Statutes and the Wisconsin Property Assessment Manual. Final assessment figures for each property shall be provided by the assessor to La Crosse County on the County’s forms, and the roll shall be totaled to exact balance between the county and the assessor. The assessor shall prepare and submit the

07/16/2019 12:52 PM 13

Municipal Assessment Report (MAR) and the Annual Assessment Report (AAR) to the Department of Revenue in a timely manner. The assessor shall also enter all required data into the Wisconsin Department of Revenue Provide Assessment Data System

(PAD).

MM. The assessor shall ensure that employees maintain strict confidence regarding all privileged information received by reason of this contract. Disclosure of this or any appraisal information to an individual, firm, or corporation other than appropriate public officials or their authorized agents is expressly prohibited.

OO. The City of Onalaska has 15 parcels listed as payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) where the assessor needs to provide the City new values during evaluation year.

PP. The assessor will notify the Financial Services Director/Treasurer and his/her designee of any omitted Real Estate or Personal Property parcels prior to open book.

QQ. The assessor is to provide all necessary computer equipment needed. The assessor agrees to properly maintain the equipment and ensure that regular updates are made to both the Windows operating system and anti-virus software during the term of this contract.

RR. The successful assessor shall be required to execute a contract with the City that incorporates the information included in this RFP.

CITY OBLIGATIONS

A. The City shall furnish adequate space at the City Hall at no cost to the assessor.

B. The City shall provide the assessor with accessing and upgrading the City’s Market Drive assessment database and annual Site License fees. The assessor agrees to comply with all City of Onalaska policies and procedures regarding the use and internet access during the term of this contract.

C. The City shall allow the assessor access to City records including, but not limited to prior assessment rolls, sewer and water layouts, building permits, tax records, building plans, records of special assessments, plats, or any other maps and property files at no cost.

D. The City shall furnish the name and address of the owner, block and lot number size, or other identifying description of each parcel to be appraised.

E. The City shall furnish the name and correct address, if known, to the assessor for notices to be sent for changes in assessed values.

F. The City shall aid the assessor with reasonable promotion of public information concerning work under this agreement.

07/16/2019 12:52 PM 14

III. REQUIRED INFORMATION

Form A - Signature Affidavit

Form B - Receipt of Forms and Submittal Checklist

Form C - Vendor Profile/Qualifications

Form D - References

Form E - Insurance and Indemnification

Form F - Fee Proposal