Property Reassessment

Formal assessment appeals

November 25, 2008

Dec. 20 earliest rest of rulings will be mailed

County officials say rest of rulings won’t be sent until last appeal is heard.

By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Reporter
Jennifer Learn-Andes on Facebook   |   @TLJenLearnAndes on Twitter

Thousands of Luzerne County property owners will have to wait until after Dec. 20 to learn the outcome of their formal assessment appeals.

County officials issued 9,000 appeal rulings earlier this month but said the rest would be released in one final batch after all appeals are heard.

The county’s appeals board announced Monday that Dec. 20 will be the final day of hearings.

An estimated 9,000 or more property owners have not yet received their rulings or are awaiting rulings on appeals that have been heard.

The delay is not sitting well with Franklin Township property owner Howard Stigben, who has been waiting for a ruling since his July 15 appeal hearing.

Stigben said Monday that he had to let his long-term care insurance expire on Nov. 23 because he had no way to estimate his future taxes without a ruling. Stigben said he couldn’t risk paying the insurance premium because he might need that $4,000 to pay his 2009 taxes.

An informed decision would have been possible if the county had kept its promise to give him a ruling around Oct. 31, he said.

“It’s disgusting. They promise you one thing and can’t live up to it,” Stigben said. “There’s no reason for it to take this long.”

Stigben obtained a certified appraisal that says his property is worth $170,000, but the reassessment company valued it at $251,700.

Appeal board members have said an interim mailing was not feasible because the computerized property database would have to be shut down for two days to process the mailing, which would hold up formal appeal hearings.

The appeals board said Monday that residential appeal hearings are scheduled to be wrapped up on Dec. 8, while commercial appeals will continue through Dec. 20.

Most of the residential hearings in December are for property owners who had requested rescheduling due to illnesses or other scheduling problems, officials said.

Property owners who filed appeals and have not yet received a hearing date should contact Yvonne or Gladys in the assessor’s office at 825-1859 or 825-1539.

Once a ruling is received, property owners have 30 days after the mailing date of the ruling to file challenges to the county Court of Common Pleas.

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

Tweet	Follow @TLnews

Send Question or Remark to the Publisher

This story also appears on the following websites...