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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.
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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 an Office of Property Assessments, whose Administrator reports directly to the Tax Revision Board with informational reports to the County Council and County Manager, 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. AMENDMENT OF § 209 OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE CODE.
A. Article II, § 209.02 is amended to read as follows:
§ 209.02 Organization and Organizational Location of the Office of Property Assessments
The Office of Property Assessments shall be an independent office within Allegheny County Government. The office shall be run by an Appraisal Administrator who shall report directly to the Board of Tax Revision. The Appraisal Administrator shall be responsible for fulfilling all responsibilities of the Office of Property Assessments and should supervise all administrative functions related to setting property value. 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 make and supervise the making of all assessments and valuations of all subjects of real property.
B. The title of Article II, § 209.04 is hereby changed to read, “Responsibilities of the Appraisal Administrator.”
C. The introductory line of Article II, § 209.04 is hereby changed to read, “The Appraisal Administrator shall:”
Section 2. THE BOARD OF TAX REVISION.
A. The Board of Tax Revision shall consist of seven members, each of which will serve a four year term. Four members shall be nominated by the County Executive and confirmed by the majority of the seated members of County Council. These four members should be active, licensed real estate brokers or appraisers with at least five years experience. The other three members shall be the County Executive or designee, the President of County Council or designee, and the County Controller.
B. The Appraisal Administrator shall meet with and report to the Board of Revision at least five times a year and shall also provide information on a periodic basis to the County Council and County Manager.
C. Certification of the real property valuations shall be made by the Appraisal Administrator with the approval of the majority of the seated members of the Board of Tax Revision.
D. All members of the Board of Tax Revision shall be paid a stipend expense of $50 per meeting.
Section 3. EFFECTIVE DATE
This Ordinance shall take effect on January 1, 2005.
SECTION 4. 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 5. 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.