Assessment RFP - 2022.docx

CITY OF PRAIRIE DU CHIEN

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

PROPERTY ASSESSMENT SERVICES

INTRODUCTION

The City of Prairie du Chien is requesting proposals from qualified assessment firms (hereafter referred to as “Assessor”) to provide assessment services for the City of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin (hereafter referred to as “City”) for assessment years 2023, 2024, and 2025, beginning no later than January 1, 2023. The assessment firm must be able to provide one qualified individual to act in the capacity of Statutory Assessor for the City of Prairie du Chien.

There is no expressed or implied obligation for the City of Prairie du Chien to reimburse responding firms for any expenses incurred in preparing proposals in response to this request.

Any inquiries concerning the request for proposals should be addressed to Chad Abram, City Administrator, City of Prairie du Chien, 214 East Blackhawk Avenue BOX 324, Prairie du Chien, WI 53821 (608-326-6406).

To be considered, one (1) original and ten (8) copies of a proposal must be received by Chad Abram, City Administrator, City of Prairie du Chien, 214 East Blackhawk Avenue BOX 324, Prairie du Chien, WI 53821 by 4:00 p.m. local time on Friday, September 9, 2022. Late proposals will not be accepted. Clearly mark proposals “Assessment Services 2023-2025” on the lower left-hand corner of the envelope. The City of Prairie du Chien reserves the right to reject any or all proposals submitted.

The City of Prairie du Chien reserves the right to retain all proposals submitted and to use any ideas in a proposal regardless of whether that proposal is selected. Submission of a proposal indicates acceptance by the firm of the conditions contained in this request for proposal, unless clearly and specifically noted in the proposal submitted and confirmed in the contract between the City of Prairie du Chien and the firm selected.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The City is located in Crawford County with a 2020 Census population of 5,605. The 2021 equalized value (including manufacturing) for the City was $425,727,900. A breakdown of property values and parcels is below, but may be subject to change due to annexation, development or demolition.

SPECIFIC SERVICES REQUIRED

1. 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 Statues.

2. Assessor will field review and assess all properties that were under partial construction as of January 1st of the previous year.

3. Assessor will field review and assess new construction as of January 1st of the current year.

4. Assessor will perform interior inspections on all newly constructed homes, partially constructed homes from the previous year, any interior remodeling including kitchen, bath, basement remodeling and additions.

5. Assessor will field and measure all properties with building permits for exterior remodeling and for detached buildings.

6. Assessor will field visit all personal property accounts annually to discover new accounts and account for business that may have closed prior to the assessment year.

7. Assessor 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.

8. Assessor will account for all buildings destroyed or demolished.

9. Assessor will implement use value assessments of agricultural lands per specifications set forth by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue.

10. Assessor will process parcel subdivisions, lot line adjustments, new subdivision plats, certified survey maps and any other land divisions.

11. Assessor will correct legal descriptions as appropriate.

12. Assessor will take photographs (high quality prints and/or digital) of new construction on or about January 1st annually, also during the review process if needed.

13. The Company will be responsible for all clerical duties in the Assessor Office.

14. Assessor will be responsible for all other clerical duties, including:

a. Preparing appointment mailers, stuffing envelopes and mailing all notices.

b. All filing of assessment property record cards and any other assessment-related records.

c. All assessment data entry.

15. Assessor will maintain property owner lists, with current name and address changes. All City assessment files will be the property of the City. As well as exempt property and trailer taxes.

16. Assessor will post assessments to real estate transfer returns and record sale information to property record cards electronically.

17. Assessor will be responsible for maintaining plat and section/cadastral maps on file and update yearly.

18. Assessor to perform duties as required by the Department of Revenue

19. Assessor will annually update all property owner record cards with new legal descriptions electronically.

20. Assessor will mail Notices of Increased Assessment to property owners and others as required by Wisconsin State Statutes.

21. Assessor will conduct Open Book sessions in accordance with Wisconsin State Statues. Assessor shall prepare a written statement regarding Open Book dates, times, and instructions on how to set up an appointment for an Open Book appointment.

22. Assessor will be responsible for insuring that all procedures are properly completed for the Board of Review proceedings to be held pursuant to State Statute deadlines, or during a revaluation year, prior to the end of August. Assessor will also attend the Board of Review meetings, defending the Assessor’s valuation and work products.

23. Assessor will be responsible for providing the Wisconsin Department of Revenue with final reports as required by the Department of Revenue.

24. The City currently has three (3) Tax Increment Districts.

25. Assessor will provide a local or toll-free phone number for City officials and residents to contact the Assessor during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, and the Assessor shall return calls within twenty-four (24) hours. The assessor will hold office hours in Prairie du Chien 1 day every two weeks,

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

27. Assessor will coordinate with Crawford County Tax Listing office to facilitate the digital and manual transfer of data and values.

Assessment Software:

The current provider of assessment services for the City of Prairie du Chien owns their own assessment software. Proposers must disclose in the compensation proposal any costs involved in converting the City’s data over to their preferred system.

28. The Company will provide the City with a public access site linked to the City’s website for taxpayers to review assessment data.

29. The assessor shall communicate openly and in a timely fashion with the proper City personnel and the public in the handling of all appeals to ensure the Board of Review has all available information to render its decisions. The assessor is expected to present a positive professional image in both dress and conduct while interfacing with City staff and the public, especially during the appeals process.

30. All assessor personnel shall carry proper photo identification to assure the public of their identity and purpose of gaining access to private property.

31. The assessor is encouraged to interface with the business and residential community and media to provide greater clarity of the assessor's role in the property taxation process and communicate assessment scheduling.

32. Assessor will also perform all other duties incidental to the normal duties of Assessor.

33. The City would like the Company to provide Options for Revaluation Services. These services may not be acted upon early in the process, but will be able to act upon if the City so chooses to do so. The following services to be included as options are:

a. Market Update

b. Walk Around

c. Walk Through

COMPANY QUALIFICATIONS

1. The successful bidder will have five years’ experience in municipal government assessing, including revaluation, and will have advanced knowledge and experience in the utilization of computer applications for assessments.

2. All personnel providing assessing services shall be currently certified in compliance with Wisconsin State Statutes and Administration rules of the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, and shall maintain certification throughout the duration of this assignment.

3. Bidders shall provide a detailed resume of the person or persons to be assigned as the City’s Statutory Assessor for the work to be performed.

4. The proposals shall identify five references from municipal clients for which the bidder and the person or persons to be assigned as the City’s point of contact for the work to be performed has provided assessment and/or revaluation services within the past two (2) years. References must include the name, title, address, and business phone number of the contact person.

5. All work shall be accomplished in accordance with the provisions of the laws of the State of Wisconsin and in full compliance with the rules and regulations promulgated by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue.

COMPENSATION

One (1) copy of the compensation proposal to be placed in a separate sealed envelope.

The proposal shall include the total annual compensation rate to provide the assessment services described in the above “Specific Services Required” and in accordance with the laws of the State of Wisconsin for assessment years 2023, 2024, and 2025, beginning no later than January 1, 2023.

The proposal shall also include as a separate line item the cost to provide the options for revaluation services as described above under the “Specific Services Required” section.

Bidders shall express their fee for each year of this proposed contract (2023, 2024 and 2025) in a not-to-exceed sum to include all of the Assessor’s costs including but not limited to: labor, materials, transportation costs, meals, lodging, and Board of Review expenses. All expense reimbursements will be the responsibility of the Firm.

Bidders are advised to carefully inspect the community, the assessment records and facilities of the City of Prairie du Chien and examine the above referenced specifications for the proposed work and judge for themselves the circumstances affecting the cost of the work or the time requirements for its completion. Failure to do so will not relieve the successful bidder of the obligation to furnish and perform the work, to carry out the provisions of the contract, and to complete the contemplated work for consideration set forth in this bid.

The successful bidder is not permitted to assign, subcontract or transfer the work of providing assessment services, without the prior written approval of the City.

PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

1. Submission of Proposals – The following material is required to be received by 4:00 p.m. local time on September 9, 2022 for a proposing firm to be considered:

· One (1) original and ten (8) copies of the technical proposal to include:

· Summary of the firm’s qualifications and experience to include experience with conducting a revaluation process and assessment evaluation of potential tax-exempt properties.

· Resume of the person or persons to be assigned as the City’s Statutory Assessor.

· Profile of staff to be assigned to the City, if selected.

· List of references

· One (1) copy of the compensation proposal in a separate sealed envelope.

Proposers should send the completed proposal (clearly marked “Assessment Services 2023-2025” in the lower left hand corner of the envelope) to:

2. Technical Proposal – The technical proposal should address all of the points outlined in the request for proposals (excluding any compensation information, which should only be included in the sealed compensation proposal). The proposal should be prepared simply and economically, providing a straight forward, concise description of the proposer’s capabilities to satisfy the requirements of the request for proposals.

3. If a proposal is accepted, the Assessor shall provide a Certificate of Insurance naming the City as additionally insured for the purposes of general and professional liability protection. Said certificate shall be in a form and amounts acceptable to the City Attorney.

EVALUATION PROCEDURES

Proposals will be evaluated using three sets of criteria. Firms meeting the mandatory criteria will have their proposals evaluated and scored for both technical qualifications and price. The following represent the principal selection criteria which will be considered during the evaluation process.

1. Mandatory Qualifications:

A. The assessment firm’s professional personnel to be assigned to the City must meet the required experience and certification described in the request for proposal.

B. The firm adheres to the instructions in this request for proposal on preparing and submitting the proposal.

C. The firm has no conflict of interest with regard to any other work performed by the firm for the City of Hartford.

2. Technical Qualifications:

A. Proposal completeness (0-25 points)

B. Expertise and experience (0-50 points)

· The firm’s past experience and performance in providing general assessment services to a municipality of similar size.

· The quality of the firm’s professional and support personnel assigned to the City.

· The firm’s professional expertise in specialized areas such as revaluations, tax incremental financing districts, and knowledge of Assessment Software Systems.

3. Price (0-25 points)

Cost will not be a primary factor in the selection of an assessment firm.

FINAL SELECTION

The Firm will be selected and hired by the Common Council. Proposals will be reviewed and scored and the contract will be awarded to the firm that is most advantageous to the City.

RIGHT TO REJECT PROPOSALS

Submission of a proposal indicates acceptance by the firm of the conditions contained in this request for proposal unless clearly and specifically noted in the proposal submitted and confirmed in the contract between the City of Prairie du Chien and the firm selected. The City of Prairie du Chien reserves the right without prejudice to reject any or all proposals.