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. ESTABLISHIN...
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