At least nine Oakland County communities have decided not to renew county contracts for assessment services.

The change is in response to Oakland County rate increases, meant to end a long-time subsidy for the services. For more than 50 years, the county’s equalization department assigned assessors to 32 communities to establish property values, which are used to determine property taxes.

But after rates for the next three-year contracts increased in some cases by triple digits, municipal leaders started looking for alternatives.

Three cities — Berkley, Ferndale and Madison Heights — and six townships — Commerce, Groveland, Oakland, Orion, Oxford and Springfield — are opting out of the county’s services.

There may be more. The deadline to renew contracts for the remaining 23 communities is June 30 because the next contract starts on July 1.

Holly Township trustees on Wednesday decided to ask for a two-month extension on the existing contract, but will also look for a different provider.

On Monday, Berkley city council unanimously approved Westland-based WCA Assessing for its next three-year contract. The city will pay $164,755, saving nearly $102,000 over the county’s new rate. WCA was the only company to respond to Berkley’s request for proposals and is charging about 13% more than the city had budgeted. The county’s rates were 95% more than expected.

Commerce and Oxford townships and Ferndale hired Washington Township-based Assessment Administration Services. Co-owner Lisa Griffin said Wednesday she could not discuss how many other communities were considering switching to her company.

Assessment Administration’s three-year contract approved by Ferndale city council will cost the city $177,420 in the first year and set annual rate increases to 4% for each of the next two years.

Oxford Township will pay Assessment Administration Services $138,960.00 for year one, $144,480.00 for year two and $150,240.00 for year three. The township paid the county just over $158,000 for 2024 work and expected to pay nearly twice that much in July.

The shift to private providers will save money but only time will tell if the companies can maintain the county’s standards and whether the county will reduce the number of assessors in the equalization department.

UAW Local 889 represents the assessors and the local’s first-vice president, Joe Rozell, said two have resigned since the new rates were announced.

He said if the county will find other jobs for assessors if the reduction in contracts warrants staff reductions. Layoffs won’t be considered until after that, he said, adding the process will likely take several months.