Property Reassessment

September 4, 2008

Assessment revisions, corrections not in mail yet

But appeals from upcoming mailings don’t have to be heard by Oct. 31, official says.

By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Reporter
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Luzerne County’s reassessment company still hasn’t released the mailing date for thousands of assessment revisions and corrections.

The reassessment company, 21st Century Appraisals Inc., had promised to mail them around Labor Day. Company representative Tim Barr said Wednesday that two batches are being prepared and should be mailed by the end of the week, but he couldn’t say which days.

The mailings will include values on roughly 2,500 parcels that weren’t finalized on July 1. Impacted property owners were warned on their July 1 notices that their properties may be undergoing research and are subject to change.

Some of these property owners have privately expressed concerns they’re waiting too long to receive their complete values, and they point out the county doesn’t have the needed 60 days before the Oct. 31 deadline to hear formal assessment appeals.

Property owners have 40 days to file formal appeals and must receive a 20-day notice of the appeal date.

Even if the county mails the values by Saturday, both requirements would push the appeals into early November.

Barr said appeals from the upcoming mailings don’t have to be heard by Oct. 31 because that requirement only applies to the values mailed by July 1.

The law allows continued value adjustments and formal appeals beyond Oct. 31 as the county detects errors and receives new information, he said. Barr said ongoing data correction and appeals may occur until the tax bills are mailed early next year.

The county is also exploring the possibility of asking the court for a 30-day deadline extension to complete the 17,000 appeals filed to date.

Barr said the county will honor all appeal rights of property owners.

The mailings will include changes resulting from public tips and more than 2,000 acreage corrections that have been made in the county mapping department since the original values were mailed on May 23.

The mailing will also officially enact all assessment changes accepted by property owners during informal reviews.

Once mailed, the adjusted values will be loaded into 21st Century’s online database, publicly updating values for the first time since the beginning of July.

Jennifer Learn-Andes, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 831-7333.

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