Veto Doesn't Mean 'Flawed System' Will Be Used for Property Tax Reassessment

said just because Gov. Tom Corbett vetoed a bill that would have put a moratorium on court-ordered property tax reassessments because the legislation only applied to Washington County doesn't mean it will need to utilize “the flawed system.”

White, D-Cecil, said that two resolutions he and state Rep. Brandon Neuman, D-North Strabane, introduced have created two task forces that will report back to the House by the end of the year—providing specific recommendations, at least, for “best practices.”

Washington County, which has been sued by two school districts to force the reassessment, was in court again Tuesday, when President Judge Debbie O’Dell Seneca granted a 20-day stay in the case. Both the county and districts will present written briefs for why an assessment should or should not proceed.

And White, for one, said he was optimistic those recommendations can be implemented in Washington County to make a reassessment more "accurate, efficient and cost-effective" if one is forced.

“Everyone acknowledges that the system is broken. It’s flawed in multiple ways,” he said.

But recommendations coming out of the task forces will give both the county and the Legislature some recommendations to improve “the actual mechanics”

Corbett vetoed the bill shortly after it was passed by the House and then amended in the Senate to exclude all but Washington County. Sen. John Pippy, a Republican who represents parts of Washington and Allegheny County, authored the amendment—one the governor ultimately said was unconstitutional because it lacked uniformity.

But Sen. Tim Solobay, D-Canonsburg, said it wasn’t just because of an outcry from Allegheny County colleagues and other local officials.

“There were a lot of senators from across the state who believed Washington County needs to bite the bullet because so many other counties already bit the bullet,” he said.

But White said it doesn't have to be that way.

"Instead of running into court and pursuing costly lawsuits, I think maybe it's time for everyone to consider sitting down and working together. Because everybody says they want the same thing," he said. "If the true goal of a reassessment is to update property values fairly and accurately without raising taxes, we should all be able to get on the same page."

State Sen. Wayne Fontana, D-Brookline, said he has co-sponsored and supported a variety of bills to address property tax reform. Those efforts have been fruitless largely because legislators in other areas of Pennsylvania are faced with the same challenges as those in our region, he said.

“In some areas, the property tax is an acceptable form of taxation to support the local schools and local government. The legislators representing those areas do not want to change the system – and that is where the problem comes in,” he said.

He said some state officials avoid advocating for a new property tax assessment system for fear it will cause property taxes to increase. “They will in some cases, but they will also go down in other cases. The idea is to make it fair and equitable by making sure that everyone pays their fair share based on the accurate value of their property," he said.

Fontana favored a statewide moratorium “because I believe that Allegheny County should not be treated any differently than the rest of the state. If Allegheny County is going to be court-ordered to have a reassessment, then the entire state should also be court-ordered to do the same.

“While the recent moratorium legislation was not a success for either Allegheny County, or Washington County, it does show that more members of the General Assembly are beginning to pay attention to this issue,” he said.

Borough managers and school districts are also paying attention.

“We all get our taxes from the same place,” said Dave Montz, Green Tree borough manager.

“I don’t think anything will happen unless there’s legislation that requires every county across the state to hold property reassessments. And there are probably a lot of counties out there that just want to stay away from it,” he said.

Rich Fitzgerald, the Democratic nominee for Allegheny County executive, said all counties need a moratorium, and he lobbied the state legislature to pass one for all counties in the commonwealth. Fitzgerald is a previous county council president who served for 12 years before stepping down in March to run for county executive.

“It's nothing against Washington County. The residents there should get a moratorium, but so should all the other residents in Pennsylvania," he said.

Local lawmakers agree the discussion is far from over.

“Now is the time to continue pressing for action to reform the state property assessment system,” Fontana said.