TITLE
An Ordinance of the County of Allegheny, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, amending the Administrative Code by providing for improvements in the administration and operation of the Office of Property Assessments by creating an independent Department of Property Assessments within the Executive Branch of County Government.
BODY
WHEREAS, Article IV, Section 2 of the Allegheny County Home Rule Charter provides that the County Council may, by ordinance or resolution, modify or eliminate any department, agency or function that no longer meets the needs of the County's taxpayers; and
WHEREAS, Article IV, Section 6 provides that County Council shall adopt, and amend as needed, an Administrative Code that provides for a complete plan of organization, departmental structure and operation for the County Government and also provides for a table of organization for all departments and agencies; and
WHEREAS, it is the belief of County Council that the Office of Property Assessment does not meet the needs of the County's taxpayers due to the setup of its current administration and operation and, as such, the Office should be reorganized to better address taxpayers' needs; and
WHEREAS, the administration and operation of the existing office is several layers removed from the County Manager who serves as the chief administrative officer of the County; and is over seen by a Director with no specific expertise in the assessment field who also has oversight responsibilities for seven other departments in addition to the Office of Property Assessments; and
WHEREAS, it is the belief of County Council that the independence of a Department of Property Assessments, whose Administrator reports directly to the County Manager with informational reports to County Council, will result in a more professional office that is responsive to the needs of the County's taxpayers.
The Council of the County of Allegheny hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. ESTABLISHING AN INDEPENDENT DEPARTMENT OF PROPERTY ASSESSMENT
The Office of Property Assessment is hereby removed from the Department of Administrative Services and established as an independent department within the Executive Branch of Allegheny County government.
Section 2. AMENDMENT OF § 209 OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE CODE.
A. Article II, § 209.02 is amended to read as follows:
§ 209.02 Organization of the Office Department of Property Assessments
A. The Office Department of Property Assessments shall be an independent office within the Executive Branch of County government, run by an appointed Appraisal Administrator. The Appraisal Administrator shall, at a minimum, be a licensed real estate broker or real estate appraiser with at least five years of experience. The Appraisal Administrator shall be appointed to a four-year term by the Chief Executive with confirmation by a majority of the seated members of County Council.
B. Removal of the Appraisal Administrator prior to the end of the four-year term shall be with just cause and shall be contingent upon the agreement of the Chief Executive and a majority of the seated members of County Council. Such requirement shall provide greater independence to the Department.
C. Upon appointment, the Appraisal Administrator shall be responsible for hiring a Chief Assessment Officer. The Chief Assessment Officer shall, at a minimum, be an IAAO Certified Assessment Evaluator (CAE) or hold the highest-ranking Commonwealth appraiser's license. He or she shall also have had a minimum of five years of progressively responsible professional experience in the management of property valuation.
D. The Appraisal Administrator shall be the Director of the Department, but shall share responsibilities with the Chief Assessment Officer to fulfill all responsibilities of the Department of Property Assessments. The Appraisal Administrator shall supervise all administrative functions related to setting property value. The Chief Assessment Officer shall make and supervise the making of all assessments and valuations of all subjects of real property. The Chief Assessment Officer shall also have the responsibility for certification of Countywide Reassessments in accordance with Section 210.11 of this Administrative Code.
Section 2. EFFECTIVE DATE
This Ordinance shall take effect on January 1, 2004.
SECTION 3. If any provision of this Ordinance shall be determined to be unlawful, invalid, void or unenforceable, then that provision shall be considered severable from the remaining provisions of this Ordinance which shall be in full force and effect.
SECTION 4. Any Resolution or Ordinance or part thereof conflicting with the provisions of this Ordinance is hereby repealed so far as the same affects this Ordinance.