Adams County Tax Reassessment Update

Adams County Tax Reassessment Update

Monday the Adams County Commissioners votedin a 3-0 vote to accept and certify the values  obtained in a county wide assessment  conducted by 21st Century Appraisals. **Please note that 21st Century Appraisals is in no way a related business entity with Century 21 Real Estate. Century 21 Real Estate has been getting alot of complaints regarding this as people are assuming that they are connected to 21st Century Appraisals. Kind of lets you know where the general public feels about the whole thing.

Many, many, Adams County residents are not happy with the reassessed values, and with good reason. Not only are the values of many properties way off, the entire appeals process is flawed, very flawed. The industry standard for reassessments is to be at or below 15 percent of the spread between actual value and assessed value. I can only speak for my property value, if I could half of what they are saying my property is worth, I would be happy. The bottom line from where I stand having consulted with friends, and client, these numbers are fantasy land. No way, no how, just not realistic, not even in the ball park. The process is far more than flawed, it is broken and crooked.

As of Oct 31 there were 1,600 appeals yet to be heardfrom the over 8,000 that were filed, of that number roughly 300 are still not done. The real number to notice is that over 1,000 of those have filed to go before a judge. Many who attended formal appeals with current certified appraisals from local appraisers ignored by the appeals board.

What amazes me the most is the apparent cluelessness of our Adams County Commissioners. I would like to be polite, but there really is on other word for it. It is a gimmie that none of three have a snowballs chance in hell to get reelected, so I don't understand the loyalty to such a clearly flawed process. It has gone to the point that one township has filed a lawsuit to stop the reassessment, a lawsuit that at least high profile Pa legal counsel states has a good shot of being successful. From what I am hearing other townships are feeling the pressure to join in on the lawsuit.

Whatever happens you can make your voice heard on Wed Nov, 17th at the County Commissioners meeting @ 9:00am, as well as the Injunction hearing on Nov, 19th at 10:00am at the Adams County Courthouse.

This is a huge mess where everybody loses, the county taxpayers, the county commissioners, heck even Century 21 Real Estate offices all because of extremely poor leadership on the part of our elected County Commissioners. It is a shame but the blame sits squarely in their collective laps.