Legislative draft governing assessment appeals praised
Commissioners say proposed rules would have made local effort easier
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HOLLIDAYSBURG -- Blair County commissioners are praising a legislative draft of changes to the state's rules governing how counties handle property assessment appeals.
Senate Bill 1007, as outlined in an analysis distributed Tuesday to commissioners, proposes:
– Specific training hours for appeal board members.
– Revised rules for informal reviews and notifications during a countywide reassessment effort.
– More flexibility for counties when deciding the number and composition of auxiliary appeal boards.
– Access for property owners to information relating to their taxing district in case of an appeal to court.
Blair County Commissioner Terry Tomassetti, who presented the analysis during the weekly commissioners meeting, said the recommendations represent a step forward for property assessments and reassessments.
The analysis was prepared by the state Local Government Commission, reflecting recommendations of its Assessment Reform Task Force chaired by state Sen. John H. Eichelberger Jr., R-Blair. Tomassetti was one of two commissioners serving on the task force.
Commissioners Chairman Bruce Erb said he thought Blair County's last reassessment would have been easier with the proposed rules in place.
"I can see great promise in this," Erb said.
"Good work," Erb told Tomassetti.
Blair County's last reassessment process stretched over 2015 and 2016, generating updated property values that were certified for use in 2017.
One of the proposed rules that would have made a difference during reassessment, Tomassetti said, focuses on the use of auxiliary boards appointed to hear property appeals.
Under current rules, commissioners created and appointed specific members to several boards. And because one board member could not substitute for another, the auxiliary boards sometimes convened with only two of their three members to hear a property owner's appeal.
That generated complaints, Tomassetti said, which could be addressed with this proposed legislation.
The proposed legislation also requires nine hours of training for all members appointed to hear assessment appeals and six hours of training for all auxiliary board members. Anyone holding a Pennsylvania Evaluator certification can be exempted from the training, which covers the assessment valuation process, legal and constitutional issues and real estate exemptions.
Another proposed rule change -- setting June 1 as a deadline to wrap up informal appeals -- also would have made a difference during Blair County's reassessment.
The overlapping of the informal appeals and the appeals process was confusing for property owners, Tomassetti said.
Commissioner Ted Beam Jr. pointed to a section of the analysis indicating that one of the proposed amendments will prohibit personnel with a revaluation company or the county assessment office from making market value or an assessed value adjustments during an informal review.
Tomassetti said he would seek clarification, acknowledging that, if an informal review identifies an error, the property owner would expect the market value or assessed value to change.
Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 946-7456.