Fayette property reassessment sought
Fayette County Chief Assessor James A. Hercik, CPE, said Tuesday that he would like to begin the 2 1/2-year process of a countywide property reassessment next year if funding is made available. Speaking during the Fayette County commissioners agenda meeting, Hercik said even if the reassessment process begins next year, it would not go into effect until Jan. 1, 2009; six years after the last reassessment went into effect.
Hercik said when the county undertook the first countywide reassessment in 40 years back in 2000, it was anticipated that another reassessment would be undertaken within five to seven years so the system “doesn’t get out of whack” again.
Although it has only been a few years since the last reassessment was instituted, Hercik said some market values and assessed values are already fluctuating. He said there are already areas in the county that need “tweaked” to ensure that assessments are as accurate as possible. Hercik said the county previously purchased software to conduct the reassessment, which would be done in-house using county staff with a “hand-holding contract” with a couple vendors.
Although he didn’t offer a specific dollar figure, Hercik said he would like to spread the cost of the project out over a two- or three-year time span, but would like to begin as soon as possible. “I would like to begin the update in 2006 if funding is available,” Hercik said. He told Commissioners Angela M. Zimmerlink and Vincent A. Vicites that he would have the budget figures available for a budget hearing on Friday. Commissioner Joseph A. Hardy III did not attend Tuesday’s agenda meeting.
Hercik said the third year of the reassessment would be the most expensive, because of the costs involved with mailing out 80,000 property tax assessment notices. He said the first year would be the least expensive, with the second-year cost falling in the middle. Hercik previously said the cost would “definitely be less than $1 million.” Zimmerlink previously said Hercik gave her initial figure of $665,000, but said the figure would probably end up being a lot less.
Hercik said using in-house staff would be the most cost effective route. Hercik previously said that as a part of any new reassessment, the county will refine neighborhoods, some of which encompass an entire township. He had said Cole, Layer, Trumble made some neighborhoods larger because of the limited number of comparable sales, but it led to houses being compared that should not be, such as a house in a small patch community in German Township being compared to a house along Route 21.
In a related but separate item, the commissioners voted to place a motion on Thursday’s agenda to enter into a one-year contract with Tyler Technologies Inc., CLT’s parent company, for $19,100 for Web site hosting and data management services relating to the property assessment Web site. Hercik said the information can be inputted monthly.
Zimmerlink said with the three commissioners now acting as the tax assessment appeals board, they need current information on the Web site.
Vicites said he believes the information on the Web site needs to be “as accurate as possible,” adding that people depend on data on the site to be accurate.
Hercik also reported that two appraisals were recently completed for property between the West Virginia line and the Georges Township line that is currently owned by CSX Corporation that the county needs to acquire for the Sheepskin Trail.
Vicites explained that per the county code, the county can only offer fair market value of the property to the owner as a purchase price. He said the county is applying to the McKenna Foundation for money to pay the sale and is also seeking funding from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for possible cash to help fund the project.
Hercik said the two appraisals yielded an average value of $86,175. Vicites said the last correspondence from CSX asked $140,000 for the property, which the county can’t pay because of the stipulations in the county code. He said the next step is to determine how much CSX is willing to accept for the land.
Zimmerlink said getting the appraisals is the “next step of many” in the process to complete the trail.
In other items, the commissioners voted to place on Thursday’s agenda motions to award the following contracts: for a fire alarm upgrade for the Fayette County Prison, to Vector Security for $17,019; for tax duplicate book bindings services for 2006, to Larry Goldberg for $7,425 or $25 per book.
Dr. Gregory Gray, executive officer of Penn State Fayette, the Eberly campus, addressed the commissioners at the beginning of the meeting, asking for a donation to his institution in the 2006 budget.
He said the only public institution of higher education in the county has grown from 276 students to more than 1,000, and sometimes students are short in having the $5,000 per semester it costs to attend the campus. He urged the commissioners to think of the money as an investment for the future.
According to county manager Warren Hughes, no money was budgeted for Penn State in the 2005 budget. Hughes said the county budgeted $20,000 in 2003 and $20,000 in 2004.