What makes this even more interesting is that the District hired Dominick Gambino to represent them in assessment appeals. According to his bio listed on The Law Office of Ira Weiss website,
Mr. Gambino is a Certified PA Evaluator and the founder/owner of “Diversified Municipal Services, Inc.” – a firm providing a variety of services and products related to local taxation and property assessment. He also served as Manager of the Office of Property Assessments in Allegheny County from 2001 – 2003. In 2002, his department conducted its first in-house computer assisted mass appraisal; and, the following year, his office facilitated the conversion of 1.8 billion bits of property data to the county’s present system. Under his guidance, Allegheny County’s real estate Web site was enhanced to include an interactive GIS mapping system and a sophisticated search engine allowing the complex queries of assessment data. During his time at the county, over 100,000 assessment appeals were completed. Mr. Gambino also prepared special reports and audits for the Allegheny County Controller’s Office. Over the years, he’s served in several elected positions including local councilman and tax collector; he’s also held a variety of local and state-wide board positions.I don't see that Gambino is an attorney, do you? The PG article continues with:
He's also challenging a rule allowing school districts and other taxing bodies to cut deals with property owners outside the hearing, which he believes gives an unfair advantage to local governments.
What was that? School districts cutting deals with property owners? Is that why we have some underassessed properties on Standish, Vernon and Arden, for instance?
Update April 2, 2013 3:01 PM I got a response from President Cappucci concerning the fourteen questions I emailed the board. Here is her response.
Mrs. Gillen,
Most of the questions you have asked have been answered during previous meetings and Board discussions. All of our past and current budget information is on the District's website. You can also attend or watch tonight's budget discussion for further information.
My response at 3:05 PM
Elaine,
You know that isn't true. The list is below. I asked fourteen questions that I have not been able to get answers. Please answer my questions.
Elaine
April 3, 2013 8:30 AM Allegheny County Council on Tuesday vetoed a proposed rule change in the way property owners are represented during assessment appeals.
Council voted 12-1 — with Councilwoman Heather Heidelbaugh, R-Mt. Lebanon, against — to scrap a plan from the Board of Property Assessment and Review that would have required property owners who hire someone to appeal their assessments to use an attorney.
Read more: http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/3770106-74/council-property-assessment?showmobile=false#ixzz2PP3MnaHj
April 3, 2013 8:30 AM Allegheny County Council on Tuesday vetoed a proposed rule change in the way property owners are represented during assessment appeals.
Council voted 12-1 — with Councilwoman Heather Heidelbaugh, R-Mt. Lebanon, against — to scrap a plan from the Board of Property Assessment and Review that would have required property owners who hire someone to appeal their assessments to use an attorney.
Read more: http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/3770106-74/council-property-assessment?showmobile=false#ixzz2PP3MnaHj
23 comments:
How can any government entity dictate to individuals terms on representation before a governing/taxing body that don't apply to the various taxing bodies themselves?
I'd would recommend for Mr. Harris or Mr. Miller that if they want to show their future constituents that they are running for the House seat to represent them that they publicly call for the State Attorney General to Have this overturned immediately.
It defies all the tenets of our Constitutions!
Where's Robin Hood when you need him?
I'm not generally one to buy into conspiracy theories, but my experience with the property assessment appeals process leads me to wonder whether the "fix is in."
I arrived at my "casual" hearing date this past December, armed with detailed spreadsheets, photographs, and an explanation as to why I felt I had been vastly over-assessed. To my surprise the only other person in the room was the nice hearing lady. She looked over my exhibits and said I had come "very well prepared." Thirty days later a letter from Allegheny County arrived, stating that the assessment was "confirmed." In the weeks that followed I could have wallpapered the house with the letters I received from attorneys, all claiming to be the greatest thing since sliced toast, and all giving the impression that they would slice my assessment down to size - without a guarantee, of course.
My County tax bill yawns before me, waiting to be paid - and it will be paid. In the meantime my business for the first three months of 2013 is off 67% from the same period last year, and to add insult to injury we have at least one school board director who wants to raise property taxes based on his flawed understanding of simple algebra ("X" can not be greater than zero and equal to zero at the same time!). I can't wait to hear the podcast from tonight's dog and pony show!
If I seem a little testy it is because I am.
Richard, I went thru the same thing in 2002, wonder if ai got the same nice little old lady. It took 4 years and legal fees close to $800 to win my appeal.
Unfortunately, even when you prove them wrong your expenses and interest lost had you had your money in the bank rather than county coffers aren't refunded.
So even when you win you lose.
Q: In the school district budget presentation I cannot find any reference to what the suggested actual proposed millage rate will be.
They referenced a "like zero" .55 mill increase, but is that actually a .55 mill increase for everyone?
Let's take a close look at one specific Mt. Lebanon property.
In 2012, its assessed value was $254,200. The school district taxed it at 27.13 mills or $6,896.45.
In 2013, that same property -- remember folks, our excellent school district keeps our home values high -- is assessed at $244,400. Which means excluding everything else but a 2013 .55 mill increase (27.68 mills) in school taxes that property will get stung for, are you sitting down... $6,764.99.
A REDUCTION in the school district tax bill for this "lucky homeowner" of $131.46.
How does that work? The SD expenditures go up by $1.8 million dollars in 2013-14, but one "lucky homeowner" actually PAYS LESS in taxes than they did in 2012!
How do I get in on that deal?
1:34 PM it seems like you and apparently far too many other home owners have no clue about legally required "revenue neutral" millage reductions for 2013 real estate taxation, and Act 1 allowable increases from there.
In your example, assume Lebo neutrality requires the 2012 millage to be reduced by say 20%, and in a second required step the SB increases that reduced millage by an Act 1 allowance of 1.7%. The millage rate to be applied to your 2013 reassessed example value of $244,400 would be only 22.073 mills for a resulting tax of only $5,394.81 - a $1,501.81 reduction from 2012 !
1:34, remember the Bill Cooper patented 0.55 mill zero tax increase is on the old assessment value.
The 0.55 mill zero tax increase will be adjusted to reflect the allowable Act 1 exemption after the 2013 values are certified.
The County already certified the 2013 real estate assessment, but the Mt. Lebanon School District does not recognize the fact.
Gambino will likely operate under the name of the law firm and the law firm will do the billing, so like everything will appear to be, but not necessarily actually be "according to the rules" -- in keeping with long PA tradition of massive loop holes and ambiguity in laws, regulations, rules, ethics, etc., etc.
2:20 I do understand the "revenue neutral' and Act 1 allowable increases.
As I said in my opening sentence I couldn't find any reference in the budget presentation as to what the millage rate would be set at.
So rather than go through all the math that you did, the 20% reduction and the Act 1 increase, I figure just using a comparison of 2012 and 2013 would be enough to show my point.
You are absolutely correct, there are plenty of people that are going to see very drastic reductions in their SD tax bills.
And to give these people these reductions some of us are going to see insane increases.
2:49, do you understand how the aid ratios reduce the millage with gambling revenues via the homestead exclusion?
Please explain.
C'mon Mrs. Cappucci, a good teacher would review the subject with her students if they said they had questions.
Elaine, asked questions and you essentially blew her off with... go look it up for yourself.
If you know the answers Mrs. Cappucci how hard would it be to give one or two sentence answers.
3:24, Cappucci is a self-proclaimed Environmental Engineer, not a teacher.
I don't care what she is by day. She is the president of the school board. I am a constituent. What if I can't attend tonight's meeting? She didn't attempt to answer any of the questions. She admitted that not all the questions have been answered. She blew me off.
Elaine
This might shed some light into the reason for the delay:
http://www.pasbo.org/Timeline2013-14Act1.pdf
page 3
MAY 2013
5/01/13 The annual deadline by which the county assessor will provide a school district with a certified homestead/farmstead report. [Section 341 (g) (3)]
5/01/13 The annual deadline by which PDE will notify districts of the amount of their state allocation of property tax reduction funding (if any). [Section 505 (a) (4)]
3:28...
“In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn.”
― Phil Collins
3:19 have to admit that I do not know the full answer to your gaming revenue question. I do know that the impact on individual's tax burden has been minimal at best.
3:52, why didn't Klein explain the deadlines you pointed out?
3:59, do you think the District should wait until finding out the "mininpal at best" impact of gaming revenue before setting the millage rate?
Why? From what I understand gaming revenue is down this year. On the other hand they are talking about adding table games and expanding casinos. So in the end until the last day of the year we're only guessing at what gaming revenue will be.
I'll ask you... should they wait until the end of the year to find out what their share of EIN revenues are?
I'll ask you also, how do private business set the rate (a tax is bascially a charge) on their products or services?
I'm not sure what point you're trying to make, but I wish you'd get to it.
I'm tired of the tax millage, assessment, gaming revenue shell game the District plays with our own money.
Yes 5:28 so am I. But you see we elect people like Kubit, Posti, Cappucci, Remely and Birks that promise that their HS renovation plan will come in 17% under their budget. That train left the station long ago, but people will defend thses people and probably vote them into office once again.
Then to add insult to injury we have people like the college professor telling us a .55 mill increase is like no increase and he gets away with such nonsense.
Then to top it off, we have a lawyer that doesn't want to raise taxes, he be a good guy and raise fees! Oh yeah, that won't hurt parents a bit.
They'll get along with it as long as we the voters let them.
We need to find our own candidates, even if they are write-ins.
We need to get people on this board who do not have kids in school and who cannot be bullied.
Heather baby probably voted "no" cause she's a lawyer shill for personal injury lawyers who were chasing the ambulance appeals !
Post a Comment