The city last month awarded a $30,000 contract for appraisal services to keep up with the demand of surveying properties within the city.

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City Council approved a resolution (AR-260-21) during its Dec. 13 regular meeting awarding a $30,000 contract to Glen Rock-based McNerney & Associates for professional appraisal services.

Normally, the city used appraisals through its attorney but City Administrator Jacqueline Foushee said in an interview last month that this contract will supplement that work to turn things around faster. Generally, the firm will be on call as needed.

“Things are just booming here,” Foushee said, as there are more properties for sale. “People who have vacant properties or see part of a redevelopment area, and market their property, we’re responding to that.”

It’s not just downtown but lots in redevelopment areas, Foushee said. For example, if private property owners put their properties up for sale, appraisals are done to see if the costs are reasonable or just leveraging for negotiations. If appraisals are lagging, and it takes four to five weeks instead of perhaps three weeks to complete, people may lose interest, she added.

There was no particular reason why the Bergen County appraisal firm was selected, Foushee said, but it was based on who was available. McNerney & Associates submitted a response to the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for professional appraisal services, according to the resolution, and has been deemed qualified to provide professional appraisal services to the city.

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