Property Reassessment

August 28, 2008

Reassessment firm to mail revised notices

New values to reflect changes, corrections made during informal reviews.

By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Reporter
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Thousands of Luzerne County property owners should start receiving new assessed values starting next week because of revisions and corrections, reassessment company representative Tim Barr said Wednesday.

The mailing, which may be split into two batches, will officially enact all assessment changes accepted by property owners during informal reviews.

Also in the mailing will be some changes that stemmed from tips and the discovery of new information about properties, said Barr, of 21st Century Appraisals Inc. In those cases, property owners won’t be expecting new values because the adjustments have nothing to do with informal reviews.

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

Adjustments caused by acreage corrections in the county’s mapping department will also be in the mailing, Barr said.

More than 2,000 acreage corrections have been made to mapping records since the new assessed values were mailed on May 23, Barr said.

Once mailed, the adjusted values will be loaded into 21st Century’s online database and released to the media, Barr said. That release is important so the public has access to fresh and accurate information about the values.

Lots of tips have come in because of the online posting of property information and the county’s urging for property owners to report missed items.

However, 21st Century representatives have cautioned that some missed items reported by property owners won’t be picked up in the upcoming mailing because the immediate focus was on the 2,500 parcels that required additional research.

“We are investigating everything that’s brought to our attention,” Barr said.

Property owners who receive revised notices will have 40 days to file a formal appeal.

The county has until Oct. 31 to hear all reassessment-related formal appeals, but county officials plan to ask the court for a 30-day extension.

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

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