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Motion expressing the Sense of Council of Allegheny County supporting House Bill 2022 requiring assessors in Counties of the Second Class, i.e. Allegheny County, be certified under the State Assessors Certification Act; and, further, requesting that the Governor and General Assembly support and approve said legislation with all due haste.
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WHEREAS, in 1992, the General Assembly enacted the Assessors Certification Act requiring certification of all assessors in the Commonwealth by the State Board of Certified Real Estate Appraisers; however, the Assessors Certification Act specifically excluded Counties of the First and Second Class from its provisions; and
WHEREAS, enactment of the Administrative Code required that any assessor or appraiser hired in the Office of Property Assessment involved in determining real property values shall be a Certified Pennsylvania Evaluator or equivalent, yet since the enactment of the Administrative Code, twenty-four assessors have been hired by Allegheny County, only seven of which are Certified Pennsylvania Evaluators; and
WHEREAS, House Bill 2022 (HB 2022) removes the exclusion from the Act for Counties of the Second Class; and, further, requires that assessors who are employees of or under contract with a County of the Second Class become certified as required by the Act within three (3) years of the effective date; and
WHEREAS, this Council believes that the bill should be amended to provide that assessors who are employees of or under contract with a County of the Second Class become certified as required by the Act within one (1) year of the effective date, but support the legislation nonetheless; and
WHEREAS, certification of assessors under the State Board of Certified Real Estate Appraisers would make the Board responsible for examining, denying, approving, issuing, revoking, suspending and renewing certificates of assessors; and require compliance with the Board's standards of professional appraisal practice.
NOW THEREFORE, IT IS MOVED, AND IT IS THE SENSE OF THE COUNCIL OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY, that this Body supports House Bill 2022, requiring assessors in Counties of the Second Class to be certified under the State Assessors Certification Act; and, further, requests that the Governor and General Assembly support and approve said legislation with all due haste.
BE IT FURTHER MOVED that copies of this motion be transmitted to the Governor of the Commonwealth and the Members of the General Assembly from Allegheny County.