Kingston’s Board of Assessors is grappling with a surge in software costs as they prepare for a high-stakes fiscal year 2027 budget hearing. During their March 10 meeting, Director of Assessing Mari O’Reilly alerted the board that while the department is aiming for a "level service" budget, essential vendor contracts are climbing significantly beyond the town’s preferred 3% growth cap. The department’s Vision software is slated for a 4% increase, while the Nearmap aerial imaging bill has jumped by 10%.

The budget pressure comes at a delicate time for Kingston. Under the leadership of new Town Administrator Scott Lambiase, municipal boards have been directed to hold the line on spending to avoid a potential Proposition 2 ½ tax override. However, the Assessors noted that when it comes to specialized assessing software, the town has little room to negotiate. Regarding vendors, there's no one else you can hire, so they can raise their costs, O’Reilly told the board. It's just the cost of doing business.

Board member Ken expressed frustration with the lack of transparency from these service providers. What does level service translate into? How much more? he asked regarding the bottom-line impact. He noted a shift in how companies handle price increases: There used to be a time when people raised their prices and gave you a reason. Now nobody even asks. The Chair echoed these concerns, pointing specifically to the imaging contract, noting, I don't know who pays the Nearmap bill in here. That vendor has a 10% increase.

Despite these rising costs, O’Reilly reported that a separate budget for the town's upcoming revaluation is actually decreasing, which may provide some fiscal relief. She noted that she felt the town received good value for the revaluation contract, which is scheduled to begin this spring. The board is also seeing a temporary reprieve in administrative workload; a current moratorium on subdivisions and zoning changes has slowed the pace of map updates, allowing staff to focus on other state-mandated directives.

The department is currently working through a backlog of cyclical inspections and property abatements. O’Reilly informed the board that a representative from the Department of Revenue (DOR) recently met with her to review directives from the previous year. At least more than half of the directives from last year have been completed, so she was happy, O’Reilly said. While snow delayed some of the physical inspections, she expressed confidence that the department would meet its upcoming deadlines. Right now we are finishing all our abatements tonight, she added.

Beyond property valuations, the board reviewed upcoming professional development for staff. Staff member Pam is scheduled to attend an income and expense workshop to better manage the town’s mailings and data usage. These training sessions are becoming increasingly vital as the board navigates the final years of the current certification cycle, which concludes in 2027. The board also handled routine business, including the opening of the session. Motion Made by The Chair to open the meeting of the board of assessors for March 10th at 5:30. Motion Passed (Unanimous).

Looking ahead, the board will present its final budget figures during a hearing on Tuesday, March 17. The timing of the meeting—falling on St. Patrick’s Day—prompted the Chair to joke that O’Reilly should bring green bagels or Irish bread to the session. The board concluded the public portion of the evening by moving to adjudicate confidential tax matters. Motion Made by The Chair to enter into executive session not to return to open session in order to comply with MGL chapter 59 section 60 to discuss exemption abatement applications. Motion Passed (Unanimous).