Property Reassessment

August 28, 2008

New values of properties in West Pittston debated

Reassessment head: Taxpayer’s data may be incomplete, wrong.

By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Reporter
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While researching the new assessed value of a family property in West Pittston, Santo Agati stumbled upon three examples of properties that he believes should have been valued significantly higher.

Two are on Susquehanna Avenue.

The first – a four-bedroom brick home on 0.56 acre -- sold for $325,000 in 2006 and is now valued at $234,000. The other – a four-bedroom with a stone fa�ade on 0.58 acre -- carries a $482,000 mortgage but was valued at $372,300.

The third home – a three-bedroom wood home on 0.18 acre on York Avenue -- sold for $176,000 in 2006 and has been valued at $97,200.

Agati, of Harveys Lake, said the York Avenue property has undergone extensive remodeling since it was purchased.

He pointed out the examples at a recent Luzerne County Commissioners meeting but said he sees no sign that the county will do something about properties that were valued too low.

Agati said he doesn’t expect the values to match sales exactly, but believes they should fall within a closer range.

“If I found a few examples by accident, can you imagine how many underassessed properties there are throughout the county?” said Agati, a former computer network administrator and attorney.

“What mechanism do they have to detect underassessed properties?”

Tim Barr, of reassessment company 21st Century Appraisals Inc., said “it’s not a given” that the properties were underassessed just because the sales prices or mortgages are higher.

Barr said multiple sales are used to value all properties in a neighborhood, so individual examples may or may not be red flags.

21st Century used about 15,000 sales from 2004 through 2007 to create formulas to value all similar properties in each neighborhood. Neither 2006 sale price cited by Agati was used in 21st Century’s formula mix..

“The point is that uniformity with other sales is more important than matching a specific selling price,” Barr said.

Agati said the three examples make him question whether all taxpayers will be paying their fair share. He believes 21st Century missed some value-impacting sales when the formulas were calculated. Agati said the county should match more sales data to the new values, to determine if 21st Century’s formulas are flawed.

“If they had a good program, this should have hit them in the face,” he said.

Barr said 21st Century and the county are monitoring tips and evidence presented at informal reviews and formal appeals – including presentations of sales data -- to determine if particular neighborhoods merit another look for values that might be too high or too low.

If such a determination is made, property owners will receive revised notices and the opportunity to file formal appeals, he said. Barr said he expects the need to mail some revised notices, but he said it’s premature to estimate how many or to identify the neighborhoods.

The county’s independent reassessment consultant had identified 18 neighborhoods that might require such revisions, but that list did not include any West Pittston neighborhoods.

School districts and municipalities also have the right to challenge assessments perceived as too low, said county Assessment Director Tony Alu.

Alu sent a letter and computerized copy of new assessed values to taxing bodies on July 1, indicating that they had 40 days to file appeals. None was filed within the deadline, Alu said.

Taxing bodies still have the right to appeal next year, he said.

Two legislative bills in Pennsylvania attempted to stop this right of taxing bodies to appeal, but Gov. Ed Rendell vetoed the bills, Barr said.

Barr said school districts in some counties, including Schuylkill, have been actively pursuing underassessed properties through appeals.

New Clean and Green contact information

Property owners with questions about the Clean and Green tax break program should call Anne Marie Paddock at 825-1540. The incorrect number was listed on the county’s phone listing.

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

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