In 1991, very few people had ever used a cellphone or the internet, while hair and clothing styles that now seem absurd were quite popular.

The year 1991 also marks the last year that Nashua officials conducted a full measure and list of property within the city.

That’s right: It has been nearly 30 years since Nashua leaders appraised the property within the city.

The International Association of Assessing Officers recommends a full measure and list at least every nine years, so the city has clearly gone far beyond the recommended interval for such a count.

Officials are now planning to spend about $1.3 million to complete the appraisal. This comes as months of accusations and innuendo have plagued the city’s Assessing Department.

“There has been a campaign ongoing for what, a year now, claiming, without basis, but claiming that the Nashua records are full of inaccuracies, and there are all kinds of inequalities and problems,” Mayor Jim Donchess said during the Tuesday Board of Aldermen meeting.

That comment may have been aimed at Berkeley Street resident Laurie Ortolano, who has been in and out of City Hall during the last 10 months, bringing forth complaints about the Assessing Office, and requesting multiple documents.

Ortolano went far beyond requesting documents, however, as she even paid a private investigator $8,000 to follow city employee Greg Turgiss who allegedly slept while on the job. Nashua officials still will not comment on the status of their independent investigation of Turgiss.

We hope, at a cost of $1.3 million, city officials will do their best to ensure a proper and accurate appraisal of city property. Nashua’s population has grown by approximately 10,000 people since 1991, while there are undoubtedly many new housing developments and apartment complexes that have opened since that time.

Also, we hope officials at City Hall are continuing to address the long-standing problems within the Assessing Department.

Property owners must be able to trust that tax bills coming their way are calculated in a fair and accurate manner.