Local Government Commission

of the  

Pennsylvania General Assembly

Property Assessment Reform Task Force

Given assessment-related litigation currently and in recent years, and reported inconsistencies and inequities in the Pennsylvania's property assessment system, the Local Government Commission (LGC), at its November 16, 2016, meeting, decided to create Assessment Reform Task Force. The Task Force is made up of:

  • Four members of the Local Government Commission, equally appointed from the Senate and House majority and minority caucuses.
  • An appointment from the Department of Community and Economic Development
  • An appointment from the Department of Revenue.
  • Appointments from the LGC, County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, Assessors' Association of Pennsylvania, Legislative Budget and Finance Committee, and State Tax Equalization Board.

The Task Force's purpose is to facilitate development and implementation of remedies to address recommendations in recent House Resolution reports related to modernization, efficiency, transparency and fairness of the property assessment process in Pennsylvania. The reports include the House Resolution 334 of 2009 Report, Pennsylvania's System for Property Valuation and Reassessment, by the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee, the Final Report of the House Resolution 343 [of 2011] Task Force on Property Valuation and Reassessment, and the Final Report of the House Resolution 344 [of 2011] Task Force on Property Valuation and Reassessment and the Pennsylvania State Tax Equalization Board.

Task Force Meetings and Minutes

Thursday, January 26, 2017 Meeting Minutes

Thursday, April 13, 2017 Meeting Minutes

Thursday, June 8, 2017 Meeting Minutes

Thursday, September 21, 2017 Meeting Minutes

Monday, April 16, 2018 Meeting Minutes

Monday, June 4, 2018 Meeting Minutes

Task Force Accomplishments

House Bill 1032 (Act 87 of 2020) and Senate Bill 491 of 2019, amending the Real Estate Appraisers Certification Act to provide for the appointment of two Certified Pennsylvania Evaluators to the State Board of Real Estate Appraisers.

House Bill 1033 (Act 88 of 2020) and Senate Bill 492 of 2019, amending the Assessors Certification Act to provide for the qualifications and training of revaluation company personnel and Certified Pennsylvania Evaluators.

Senate Bill 477 (Act 41 of 2022) and House Bill 1169 of 2021, amending Consolidated County Assessment Law to further provide for submission of building permit and substantial improvement information.

Senate Bill 1007 (Act 155 of 2018) and House Bill 1990 of 2017, amending Consolidated County Assessment Law to provide for appeal boards' qualifications, the appeals process and certain notifications.

Senate Bill 950 and House Bill 1890 of 2017, providing for a Voluntary Real Estate Sales Verification Form Pilot Program.

Data Collector Standards for gathering data on characteristics of parcels required for property valuation, recommended to the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania/Assessors' Association of Pennsylvania for adoption as a "best practice" and incorporation into their training program. Adopted by the AAP Board of Governors and the CCAP Board of Directors on July 13, 2018 and August 5, 2018, respectively.

Model RFP and Contracting Guidelines for County Reassessment Services to help counties ensure that a reassessment is conducted appropriately and implemented successfully, recommended to the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania for adoption and implementation. Adopted by the AAP Board of Governors and the CCAP Board of Directors on July 13, 2018 and August 5, 2018, respectively.

Pennsylvania Property Assessment: A Self-Evaluation Guide For County Officials to provide the county governing body, county assessors and other county officials and employees, and the public with a primer on the reasons for periodic review of the status of the county's assessment system and the broad strokes of how that review may be conducted, recommended to the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania/Assessors' Association of Pennsylvania for adoption as a "best practice" and incorporation into their training program. Adopted by the AAP Board of Governors and the CCAP Board of Directors on July 13, 2018 and August 5, 2018, respectively.

Assessment Office Public Relations: Building a Spirit of Cooperation and Understanding with the Public to provide the county governing body and county assessors with guidance on the purpose and scope of public relations and information, developing a public relations program, and public relations as part of a countywide reassessment, prepared by the members of AAP Public Relations Subcommittee with assistance from Local Government Commission staff, and adopted by the AAP Board of Governors as best practices on November 14, 2018.

Task Force Members

Local Government Commission

Senator John H. Eichelberger, Jr., Chairman

Senator John P. Blake

Representative Kate Harper

Representative Mary Jo Daley

Richard "Rick" Vilello

Deputy Secretary for Community Affairs & Development

Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development

Radee Skipworth

Policy Director

Pennsylvania Department of Revenue

Douglas Hill, Executive Director

County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania

Joan Righter Price, Esq.

Eastburn and Gray

Representing the Assessors' Association of Pennsylvania

Charles "J.R." Hardester, CPE, MS, Chief Assessor

Lawrence County

Representing the Assessors' Association of Pennsylvania

Renee Reynolds, Director

State Tax Equalization Board

Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development

Maryann Nardone, Ph.D.

Philip H. Klotz, Executive Director

David A. Greene, Esq., Assistant Director-Legal Counsel

Danette H. Magee, Senior Research Analyst

Karen Bear, Secretary

Local Government Commission