Rochester Budget Panel Defers Assessor Clerk Position, Eyes Revaluation Bond

ROCHESTER — October 22, 2024 — Rochester's budget committee deferred a new part-time assessor clerk position until fiscal year 2026 and began weighing bond financing for a remaining revaluation contract balance of roughly $300,000 or more. At an October 22 working session streamed publicly on YouTube, the assessor told the committee that without adequate staffing the town's ongoing revaluation — carrying a total contract cost of approximately $420,000 — would lose its value within two years, warning that "property data is changing every single day." The committee agreed to fund a full-time assessor and a full-time assistant for fiscal year 2025 but held off on a part-time field worker, citing overall budget constraints and competing staffing needs in code enforcement and buildings. Members also discussed purchasing a shared town vehicle for the assessor, code enforcement, and recreation departments using funds already in the current budget, and reviewed a $60,000 placeholder for a community park equipment project potentially backed by a federal USDA rural communities matching grant.