Allegheny County assessors aren't regularly attending property assessments hearings anymore, official says

More homeowners than ever before in Allegheny County are filing appeals to try to lower their property taxes. 

However, according to a Board of Property Assessment Appeals and Review official who regularly sits in on those hearings, a key player in the process is often missing, and it could be costing homeowners and the county money.

Mike Suley, who serves on the board that hears property assessment appeals, says he's concerned about a change in how hearings are being handled. Suley previously represented homeowners in appeals before working in county government, giving him a unique perspective on the process.

According to Suley, the presence of the county assessor used to be standard practice.

"The first two county executives, Jim Roddey and Dan Onorato, always had the assessor at the hearing," said Suley. "The last two county executives stopped doing it."

Impact of no-show assessors 

When homeowners appeal their property assessments, they present their case to Suley and the appeals board. The goal is often to correct inaccurate information or challenge the assessed value of the property to reduce property taxes. Suley says that in most counties in Pennsylvania, an assessor attends these hearings to present official records and information about the property in question.

"The assessors must attend the hearings in Pennsylvania. It's the law," Suley said.

But in Allegheny County, he says that's not happening. Suley believes the absence of an assessor can leave important details about a property unverified during hearings. Those records can sometimes contain mistakes that affect a home's assessed value and the taxes homeowners pay.

For example, Suley says county records may show features that don't actually exist.

"The assessor will say, 'Look on our record, you have three full baths and one partial bath,'" Suley explained. "And you say, 'Wait a minute, I have one full bath and three partial baths.' That would make a difference in your assessment. You would pay less taxes."

Without the assessor present, correcting those records during a hearing can be more difficult.

Allegheny County impacted, too

Suley argues that the issue doesn't just affect homeowners. He says the county could also be losing revenue because the process isn't as accurate as it could be.

"The county is losing money by not having the assessor at the hearing. I see this day in and day out," Suley said.

Last week, Suley took steps to address the issue by requesting a legal opinion from the board's solicitor.

"I asked for a legal opinion from our solicitor, and I asked them to contact the county and say this is the law," he said. 

The board's solicitor agreed, saying it is the law. However, the solicitor representing Allegheny County said the law Suley referenced does not apply to Allegheny County. When asked where that exemption appears in state code, officials said they were still looking into it.

The county sent KDKA Investigates a statement saying, "Allegheny County is governed by the Second-Class County Assessment Law which generally trumps the General County Assessment Law."

Another factor may be staffing levels in the county's assessment office. Allegheny County currently has 16 assessors responsible for tracking nearly 600,000 properties.

"I can't make the county have the assessors show up," said Suley. "But I did bring it up to the chief assessor last week at the meeting, and the chief assessor said, 'Well, we don't have enough assessors.'"

The county currently has a job posting for assessors on its website, with pay starting at $20 per hour.

The issue could become even more important if the county conducts a countywide reassessment in the future.

How to protect yourself

In the meantime, homeowners can take one step to protect themselves: check their property record card. 

This document contains details the county has on file about a property, including square footage, number of bathrooms, and other features that influence assessed value. Anyone can request a property record card for free from the assessor's office.