Board of Revision of Taxes may start re-assessing properties

Philadelphia’s Board of Revision of Taxes (BRT) is threatening to re-assess city properties using their full value. But not everyone agrees that the new formula is consistent.

Philadelphia’s Board of Revision of Taxes (BRT) is threatening to re-assess city properties using their full value. But not everyone agrees that the new formula is consistent.

BRT Chairwoman Charlesretta Meade told the Philadelphia City Council the board is preparing to move forward with the full-value reassessment program. The program was halted as part of a now-expired agreement with Mayor Michael Nutter.

“At this time the board has not taken any action in terms of what will occur with the assessment functioning,” said Meade. “But ideally and specifically we would be in charge of that function and we will be doing it over the next few weeks determining how we would go forward at this time.”

The agreement ended at the beginning of the month and the mayor and BRT officials failed to make a new deal.  Mayor Nutter says if there is a decision to move forward on the full value taxation he would use every method available to block it.

“I can only imagine that when some property owner gets what would be, at the moment, more than likely a pretty out of whack new assessment notice, that property owner could certainly take action themselves and there could also probably be all kinds of other legal action as a result,” says Nutter.

The mayor, who is unhappy with the BRT’s handling of assessments, wants the city to take over assessment duties. On May 18, Philadelphia voters will be asked whether the city charter should be changed to allow for that.