State Senator in Pennsylvania proposing legislation to require property assessments in all counties
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - State Senator Wayne Fontana wants to mandate that all 67 counties reassess property values on a regular basis, saying it is time to have a fair system.
Property value assessment has been a hot topic of discussion in Allegheny County, now it's being discussed in the Pennsylvania State Senate.
"I think it's time we did that and had a fair system," Sen. Fontana said.
He introduced a bill that would force all of Pennsylvania's 67 counties to reassess property values every five years.
"It's being put out for anyone [who] wants to co-sponsor that legislation," he said. "I don't expect a lot of people to sign on because the perception of reassessment is that everybody's taxes, property taxes, will go up."
Fontana believes this should be common practice and local municipalities are finding out the hard way, especially in Allegheny County, when the last time everyone's property value was assessed was in 2012.
"The only reason Allegheny County is doing one is because they were sued to do it and that's what's happening all across Pennsylvania," Fontana explained.
Republicans, however, have majority control in the State Senate so without bipartisan support, the bill could just stall, but Fontana is holding out hope that it doesn't happen that way.
"That [would] result in common limit ratio problems, spot assessing, more appeals, it also causes businesses to not want to come to Pennsylvania," he said.