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Tuesday, December 24, 2002

By Mark Belko, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Allegheny County Council Vice President Rick Schwartz accused county Chief Executive Jim Roddey of playing politics with property assessments by concurring with a decision to schedule a vote to certify the 2003 values on New Year's Eve.

The meeting of the three-member assessment oversight board on which Schwartz serves had been planned for Jan. 6. It was moved up by board Chairman George Whitmer, with Roddey's blessing, to ensure the participation of board member Robert Stephenson, whose term expires at the end of the year.

Without Stephenson, the certification vote could end in a tie, throwing the assessment system into chaos. The certification allows taxing bodies to use the values for collecting taxes.

Schwartz, a Democrat who has criticized the last two reassessments, said yesterday in a letter to Whitmer that the Dec. 31 vote does not give him enough time to review assessment totals. He said he just received the numbers Friday.

He urged Whitmer to reschedule the meeting for later, noting the values don't have to be certified until Jan. 15.

"If the administration believes Mr. Stephenson's vote is necessary, then I question their politics and suggest that there is something wrong with what is occurring," he wrote.

Whitmer said last week there is no need for extensive analysis. Most of the values on 550,000 properties won't change because the county is not reassessing again. Schwartz said more than 41,600 assessments have changed and another 14,500 appeals are still pending. The board reviews aggregate totals, not individual values.

County Manager Bob Webb has accused council Democrats of looking to create chaos by blocking Stephenson's reappointment and leaving the oversight board unable to break a tie.