Nashua Chief Financial Officer John Griffin and the Mayor’s Chief of Staff Kim Kleiner present their findings from the Assessing Office’s audit to the Board of Aldermen during a special meeting on Thursday.

NASHUA – Jon Duhamel is no longer listed on the city’s website as the chief assessor, a development resulting after the release of the Management Audit Report about the Nashua Assessing Department.

Board of Aldermen members conducted a special Thursday meeting for the sole purpose of reviewing the audit. The report was presented to the board by Mayor Jim Donchess and his Chief of Staff Kim Kleiner and Chief Financial Officer John Griffin, who performed the audit.

In reviewing the audit, Donchess acknowledged the major recommendation made in the report by Kleiner and Griffin, while defending the city’s revaluation done by KRT Appraisal, a Massachusetts-based appraisal company. Recommendations include the elimination of the the chief assessor position and reinstatement of the administrative services director post.

Recommendations also include performing a full measure and evaluation of city property, which has not occurred since 1992.

“As you know, the audit recommended that we eliminate the chief assessor position,” Donchess said, “and instead, return to the system of having many of the departments in City Hall that work together run by a new administrative services director.”

With those recommendations to the board, Donchess said both these suggestions will be brought to the board during the 7:30 p.m. Tuesday meeting. This will actually be the third of three BOA meetings set for Tuesday, with the first set for 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 229 Main St.

Kleiner and Griffin discussed with the board members their work on the audit, which included multiple interviews with the Assessing Office’s staff members, as well as looking into the procedures and the software used in the department.

“Looked at how the public may view their individual prop card, what is online, and if it can be done more effectively, with more transparency,” Kleiner said.

Griffin emphasized the re-introduction of the administrative services director position would greatly improve all the functions the individual would oversee.

“The administrative services director, from my certain amount of research, that was really the directorship where we kept these departments together,” he said.

Mathew Plamondon may be reached at 594-1244, or at mplamondon@nashuatelegraph.com.