Assessors debate postage for sales questionnaire; staff to pilot email-first option

The board reviewed a revised sales questionnaire and raised practical concerns about mailing and the perceived tone of one question.

Staff noted that outbound envelopes typically go through the collector’s postage machine and that the assessor’s office had not budgeted for pre-stamped return envelopes for 2027. "My only thing with that is our envelopes, when we mail something out, it goes to the collector's office, and they stamp our envelopes at that point. I also didn't budget for that for 2027," staff said. Members expressed concern that one question (line 3) could intimidate homeowners; staff agreed to remove that line and to emphasize email as the first submission option.

The board asked staff to pilot the revised questionnaire, track response rates with the included return envelopes, and request additional postage funding if the pilot shows strong uptake. Staff said they will bring the revised document back at the next meeting for final approval.