Board of Revision of Taxes Appeals Q&A Session To Be Held in Whitman on Wednesday Night

Assessment not fair or accurate? Get to Whitman on Wednesday night (via Philly OPA)

The deadline for filing an appeal to the Board of Revision of Taxes (BRT) for the new property assessment is October 7th. Chances are high there is some confusion surrounding your new assessment, especially if you live in the Pennsport, Queen Village, and Whitman areas. Luckily there is a free "Question and Answer" session on October 2nd to help residents decide whether it makes sense to file an appeal to the BRT.

The Q&A session will be held in Whitman on Wednesday in the basement of Our Lady of Mount Carmel School (2329 S. Third Street) at 7pm. Councilman Mark Squilla will be on hand to answer any questions in the hopes to clear up any confusion surrounding the new assessments. Staff from Councilman Squilla's office will also be on hand to help with filling out appeal forms.

At the most recent general membership meeting of the Pennsport Civic Association, Walt Spencer presented some key information contained in the "AVI Appeal Guide" and "AVI Survival Guide." Mr. Spencer, who has successfully implemented a countywide AVI program in New York State (among other insane municipal consulting chops), mentioned three key reasons to appeal to the BRT. You should be able to answer "yes" to at least one of these options:

1. Is the information listed about your assessment correct? Double check any and all information about your property (your full name, address, lot size, etc.) and make sure they have the correct information - you can do so at here.
2. Research similar nearby houses. Is your house is assessed for more than similar houses (lots size/specifications, age, condition)? You can find that information here.
3. What about a garage? Compare your house to others that have a garage, whether you have one or not. If your assessment is higher, you may want to appeal.

It's important to remember that while it may seem unfair that you're assessment is high, you need to bring hard evidence to the table when appealing to the BRT. Attend this free Q&A session with Councilman Mark Squilla on Wednesday to get the information needed to make an educated decision on filing an appeal.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church School
2329 S. Third Street



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