Council evaluates BRT in first hearing

City Council held their first hearing on Tuesday on reforming the agency that sets property tax assessments, and hears taxpayers appeals. The Board of Revision of Taxes has been in the process of modernizing its assessment process to reflect actual value and achieve uniformity.

Philadelphia could be several years away from straightening out is error-plagued property tax system. City Council held their first hearing on Tuesday on reforming the agency that sets property tax assessments, and hears taxpayers appeals. The Board of Revision of Taxes has been in the process of modernizing its assessment process to reflect actual value and achieve uniformity.

Listen:
[audio: 091027spbrt.mp3]

Philadelphia’s Budget Director Steve Agostini says the reassessment process carried out by the BRT is riddled with errors and may need additional consultants to help fix it.

City Council President Anna Verna asked Agostini how much money the city has spent so far to revamp the city’s assessments.

Verna: We’re talking in the millions and that’s not counting the consultant time or staff time, so spending all the millions that we have we still see this as a problem, that’s a fair statement. How many more millions would address the problem?

Agostini responded the city is trying to make sure data is correct without spending additional millions.

No one from the Board of Revision of Taxes showed up to the hearing. But in a written statement to Council, The Board called their process for attaining new residential values a success.