Clearfield County officials defend shift to 50% assessment ratio and 1-mill tax increase as residents press for reversal

Clearfield County commissioners said they changed the county ssessment "predetermined ratio" from 25% of assessed value to 50% and separately enacted a 1-mill tax increase for 2025, and officials told residents that the net effect of the ratio change and the accompanying 50% millage cut should leave individual tax bills unchanged.

The commissioners said the ratio change was intended to give future boards and municipalities more room to maneuver because many municipalities were at or near the 25-mill cap established by state law. "We changed that to 50%, but at the same time reduced the millage by 50% as well. The net effect was no change to the tax owed by any county resident," a county official said during the meeting.

Residents who addressed the board during the public-comment…