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Public commenter urges county to fix perceived property-assessment inequities
Summary
At the March 12 meeting, Harry Stauffer told commissioners the county's property assessment system is "broke drastically," describing examples of widely different assessed values and urging changes such as lowering millage or fixing assessment methods.
During the public-comment period at the Berks County Commissioners meeting, Harry Stauffer criticized the county's property assessment system and urged the board to address perceived inequities.
Stauffer characterized his remarks as not an attack on taxes generally but an argument about assessment fairness. "The system is broke drastically," he said, describing cases where purchase prices and assessed values appear misaligned and saying such inconsistencies could discourage property sales. He argued that assessments and resulting taxes can be so high that prospective buyers are priced out and urged the county to consider changes, including lowering the millage.
Stauffer also complained the county treasurer's office would not accept cash for tax payments and questioned policies about small overpayments. He concluded by warning he would return to the board if he did not see improvement.
The comments were part of public comment; no action was taken by the commissioners on the issues raised during the meeting.
