Quality check: Reassessed taxpayers deserve an informal appeal
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It will be unfortunate if the timing of Allegheny County's court-ordered reassessment precludes its property owners from being able to file informal appeals.
A decade ago when the county underwent a large-scale assessment, owners had the chance to correct factual errors through an informal appeal. After the county sent out notices with preliminary assessed values, property owners could request an informal review to refute details that went into the calculations.
For example, if assessors got the square footage of the home wrong or failed to take into consideration a cracked foundation or deteriorating deck, owners could make their assertions without the expense of filing a formal appeal.
More than 120,000 people took advantage of this additional layer of due process, but it may be lost under the strict timetable Common Pleas Judge R. Stanton Wettick Jr. issued for county officials last month.
Judge Wettick said reassessment of properties in Pittsburgh must be finished by early December so the city and its school district can send out their 2012 tax bills on time. As a consequence, there may not be enough time for informal reviews.
For the county, the informal reviews give officials one last quality control step. If, for instance, a group of owners in one neighborhood have a similar disconnect with the data, it could signify a specific problem there that was undetected by assessors.
For property owners, the reviews give them a chance to make their arguments in a process that is less intimidating. Although getting appraisals or hiring attorneys is not required for formal appeals, many homeowners feel pressure to do both at that stage.
But if the owners' argument succeeds at the informal level, it saves them and the county the time and the expense of a formal appeal.
Judge Wettick and county officials must work together to ensure that homeowners retain the option of informal appeals.
First Published October 10, 2011 12:00 am
