SCARBOROUGH – For the first time in nearly three decades, Scarborough has hired a town assessor.

At its May 15 meeting, the Town Council unanimously confirmed William H. “Bill” Healey Jr., 52, a native and resident of Lewiston, to serve as town assessor. He replaces Paul Lesperance, who retired in late March after 29 years with the town.

According to Scarborough Human Resources Director Jaclyn Mandrake, Healey will make an annual salary of $84,364, a small savings on “just under $89,000” budgeted for Lesperance in his final year.

Healey, who will start in Scarborough June 10, has been the municipal assessor in Cumberland since 2000, Yarmouth since 2004 and North Yarmouth since 2012. He also has been the assessors’ agent in Denmark, where selectboard members are the legal assessors, since 2007.

Healey studied at the now-defunct University of Southern Maine Center for Real Estate Education and began working in the field in 1992, first in Saco, then South Paris, and finally on his own from 1998 to 2007. During that time he also launched into municipal work as the assessor in Old Orchard Beach, from 1997 to 2000.

“Having started my municipal career in Old Orchard Beach, I’ve always had an affinity for the coastal communities,” said Healey, speaking of his decision to apply for the Scarborough job. “I also was intrigued by the challenge of the unique mix of commercial and residential property here in town.”

According to Town Manager Tom Hall, nine resumes were submitted to replace Lesperance. Hall, council Chairman Ron Ahlquist and Vice Chairwoman Judy Roy interviewed three of the applicants. The town assessor is one of just three municipal employees hired directly by the council, along with the town manager and the town attorney.

“I was surprised and, frankly, a little disappointed at the low number of applications,” said Hall. “Although, you’ve got to appreciate, this is a pretty specialized field and our tax base is sophisticated enough that you need really deep experience.

“Still, what we got were quality candidates and, in my estimation, Bill was just head and shoulders above the rest. The fact that he currently juggles four different communities is a feat in and of itself.”

“His experience level was far ahead of any of the other applicants,” said Roy. “His ease of manner I was very pleased with and he also got a positive vibe from our previous assessor, who knows him from the field. So, there were a lot of positives and I didn’t really find any negatives.”

Since retiring, Lesperance has remained on by stipend to help shepherd a final batch of 84 active appeals though the system, following a revaluation of waterfront properties this past year that saw 275 lots increase in value.

He and Healey were scheduled to meet this week to review those appeals. However, Healey said Monday it is Lesperance who will close out those files.

“The big challenge for me is getting go know the community,” he said. “I know the area and I know waterfront very well, but real estate values are all driven by location. So, it’s just a matter of getting to know those areas going forward.

“Luckily, I have great assistants,” said Healey, referring to Susan Russo and Sara Salisbury, whom he’s met at various assessing conferences. “They’ve been working on the ground here for a lot of years. So, I’m very happy with that. They’ve been great to work with in the past and I’m looking forward to working with them again.”

Scarborough’s new assessor, Bill Healey of Lewiston, was officially confirmed by the Town Council at its May 15 meeting.