Philly BRT’s website lacks property assessment information

Want an application to formally appeal your new property assessment from the city of Philadelphia?  

You won’t find it on the website for the Board of Revision of Taxes.

And that’s not the only thing that seems to be missing from the site, even as new, mostly higher assessments are being mailed to nervous property owners.  

No hearings have been listed on the appeals calendar in recent months. The last update on the BRT’s “News and Press Release” page is from 2010. Former board member Barbara Capozzi, a 2011 City Council candidate, is listed as a member.  

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Carla Pagan, BRT’s executive director, said the appeal application form will be online by April 1. She said the board is waiting because it wants residents to request an informal review with the city’s Office of Property Assessment first if they think their assessment is inaccurate.  

Residents will have until March 31 to request a review from the city evaluator who assessed their property. A form to do this will be included in new assessment notices.  

However, details about the city’s new review process could not be easily found on the BRT website, either. Pagan recommends visiting the Office of Property Assessment’s website.  

BRT chairman Judge Alan Silberstein said that the appeal application should be online.  

“I’ll look into it right away,” he said, adding, “We’ll send it to anybody who calls.”  

Silberstein pointed out that the BRT’s application isn’t due until Oct. 7. He said that this issue is tiny compared to a bigger problem: the massive number of appeals he’s predicting will be filed.  

He plans to ask City Council for more funding and employees for next budget year.

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