Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Property Reassessment Appeals topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lackawanna County land bank to file appeals after countywide reassessment; deadline Aug. 1 noted
Summary
Land bank staff reported market values assigned during a countywide reassessment have made sale of many parcels impractical; the board directed staff to prepare formal appeals for 59 parcels and to schedule hearings with the county board of appeals before the Aug. 1 filing deadline.
Board members discussed new market values assigned during the countywide reassessment and agreed to pursue formal appeals for a large number of land‑bank parcels. Staff said many reassessed values are so high the parcels would be unsaleable under current figures and recommended filing appeals with the county board of appeals.
Staff said the only available remedy to lower an assessment after a countywide reassessment is a formal appeal to the board of appeals. The board discussed the process and the potential per‑appeal fee; staff said tax‑exempt organizations may be exempt from certain fees but the land bank is not a nonprofit and cannot automatically claim a fee waiver. Board members and staff estimated about 59 individual appeals would need to be filed; staff recommended scheduling them consecutively with the board of appeals and offered to provide comparable sales data to support appeals.
The board directed staff to prepare the appeals and said applications are fillable online to facilitate submission. Board members set a deadline to have appeals filed by Aug. 1 so they comply with the statutory filing window discussed in the meeting. Solicitor Joe and other staff said they will prepare the filings and provide supporting documents, including market comparables, to the main board for review before submission.
Ending
Board members asked staff to prepare appeal filings and supporting market analysis and to coordinate scheduling with the board of appeals; a formal filing plan was to be completed prior to the Aug. 1 deadline noted in the meeting.
