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luzerne county reassessment

July 29, 2008

Protest to Overturn Reassessments

Protesters cry out for fair process

By Steve Mocarsky smocarsky@timesleader.com
Staff Writer
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WILKES-BARRE – Honking horns of passing motorists and pleas shouted over a bullhorn supplemented the message reassessment protesters were trying to send outside the Luzerne County Courthouse Monday afternoon.

The Hazleton-based grass-roots group Voice of the People USA organized a rally to “apply pressure to overturn the reassessments,” according to the organization’s Web site.

Voice of the People founder Dan Smeriglio said 21st Century Appraisals – the firm Luzerne County Commissioners paid $8 million to perform the reassessment – did a poor job in Luzerne, Tioga and other counties.

“We’re asking for the commissioners to throw this away, repeal it. If not, get somebody else to (replace 21st Century and) at least try to make it fair,” he said.

Many motorists driving along River and North streets honked their horns in support after reading signs criticizing the reassessment – the county’s first since 1965 – carried by several of the approximately 25 protesters.

“The Constitution protects the rights for every individual to own property. Don’t let our local government take it away,” read a sign carried by Boyd Barber, 65, of Harveys Lake.

The assessed value of Barber’s home jumped from $79,400 to $875,600. His taxes are expected to go from $1,506 to $11,694.

“I doubt very much we could get over $400,000 for it, but definitely not $800,000,” Barber said.

Barber’s wife, Linda, a 64-year-old housekeeper at Dallas Middle School, carried a sign that read: “Reassessment full of mistakes. Unfair, un-American.”

“The house we live in is one of the oldest houses at Harveys Lake. It has a lot of faults. … There’s no way we can afford $1,000 a month in taxes. We moved there because it was an old house and inexpensive to live in. We had six kids and had to cut corners,” Linda Barber said.

Harveys Lake Councilman Clarence Hogan’s sign read: “Luzerne County tax reassessment unfair to Harveys Lake and county residents.”

Hogan said he was assessed twice for his lakefront property.

“It has to be redone,” Hogan said of the reassessment. “We shouldn’t have to pay for their errors to correct them.”

21st Century officials have said mistakes can be corrected at free informal reviews and at formal appeals that carry a $5 application fee. But Hogan said property owners would have to pay for an appraisal and an attorney to see significant reductions.

Michelle Boice of Harveys Lake got her message across loud and clear – with a bullhorn.

“Stop the unfair reassessment,” Boice shouted toward the courthouse.

Calling herself the “Poster Child for Overassessment,” Boice had her property’s assessed value reduced from $607,000 to $177,000 last week. Much of the reduction stemmed from 21st Century’s incorrect labeling of the property as waterfront.

Boice said most of the protesters were from Harveys Lake because they are “the hardest hit.” She said turnout was poor because the rally was “poorly organized” and “lacked publicity. … We wholeheartedly believe in what they’re doing, but we didn’t even know about this till this afternoon.”

Smeriglio said the turnout was what he expected because there was little advance media coverage.

“And on a Monday at 3 p.m., you’re not going to get a very big turnout because people are working,” he said.

The Times Leader mentioned the time, location and purpose of the rally in a reassessment-related story published on Saturday.

Smeriglio said the rally got a “good reaction” from motorists, and he believes county officials felt the group’s presence. “They hear us in there; they’re looking out the window,” he said, pointing to the courthouse.

Some courthouse employees in offices on the northeast end said they heard some shouting and honking traffic, but it wasn’t distracting. The commissioners’ offices are on the opposite end of the courthouse, where the rally was inaudible.

WHAT’S NEXT

At least two anti-reassessment rallies are planned for August:

• A Voice of the People rally is planned for 1 p.m. Aug. 16 at Public Square in Wilkes-Barre.

• A rally led by Harveys Lake residents is set for 1 p.m. Aug. 18 during the commissioners work session at the county courthouse.

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