Mayor freezes property tax assessments

Most Philadelphia homeowners can forget about getting new property assessments that will increase their taxes for a while. The city has stopped assessing everything except new construction and major property rehabs for an indefinite period of time.

If you own a home in Philadelphia, you can pretty much forget about getting a new property assessment that will increase your taxes for a while. The city has stopped assessing everything but new construction and major property rehabs for an indefinite period of time.

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Mayor Michael Nutter explains it simply. The troubled Board of Revision of Taxes is so out of step with current assessment practices that it needs to be completely overhauled. Richard Negrin his interim Executive Director of the agency. He says they are working to fix their problems, especially bad data.

Negrin: The data issues are numerous, they are critical to fix. One minor mistake in data can grow exponentially both in terms of bad info on a house can effect a block, bad data on a block and effect a neighborhood, and in turn can effect the entire city slowly over time.

The BRT is in the process of being overhauled and will be split into two city agencies, one for assessment the other for appeals if a charter change on the May ballot is approved by voters. The mayor says the overhaul could take up to two years.