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        PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 1087                      PRINTER'S NO. 1891

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


HOUSE BILL

No. 979 Session of 1999


        INTRODUCED BY FICHTER, TIGUE, SAYLOR, BARRAR, STERN, NICKOL,
           SEMMEL, E. Z. TAYLOR, BUNT, RUBLEY, B. SMITH, RAMOS,
           WILLIAMS, HENNESSEY, SATHER, YOUNGBLOOD AND BARD,
           MARCH 22, 1999

        AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT, HOUSE OF
           REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, JUNE 7, 1999

                                     AN ACT

     1  Amending the act of June 26, 1931 (P.L.1379, No.348), entitled,
     2     as amended, "An act creating in counties of the second A and
     3     third class a board for the assessment and revision of taxes;
     4     providing for the appointment of the members of such board by
     5     the county commissioners; providing for their salaries,
     6     payable by the county; abolishing existing boards; defining
     7     the powers and duties of such board; regulating the
     8     assessment of persons, property, and occupations for county,
     9     borough, town, township, school, and poor purposes;
    10     authorizing the appointment of subordinate assessors, a
    11     solicitor, engineers, and clerks; providing for their
    12     compensation, payable by such counties; abolishing the office
    13     of ward, borough, and township assessors, so far as the
    14     making of assessments and valuations for taxation is
    15     concerned; and providing for the acceptance of this act by
    16     cities," further providing for auxiliary appeal boards.

    17     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
    18  hereby enacts as follows:
    19     Section 1.  Section 1(b) of the act of June 26, 1931
    20  (P.L.1379, No.348), referred to as the Third Class County
    21  Assessment Board Law, amended April 22, 1997 (P.L.70, No.4), is
    22  amended to read:
    23     Section 1.  * * *


     1     (b)  In conjunction with a countywide revision of assessments
     2  involving either a change in the established predetermined ratio
     3  or revaluing the properties and applying the predetermined ratio
     4  or in conjunction with the homestead exclusion under 53 Pa.C.S.
     5  Ch. 85, Subch. F (relating to homestead property exclusion),
     6  known as the Homestead Property Exclusion Program Act, the
     7  county commissioners may create up to four temporary auxiliary
     8  appeal boards, each to be known as an auxiliary appeal board.
     9  [The county commissioners shall establish the term of existence
    10  for an auxiliary appeal board not to exceed eighteen months.]
    11  The term of existence for an auxiliary appeal board shall be the
    12  period of time required by the auxiliary appeal board to hear
    13  and determine appeals from new assessment values in accordance
    14  with section 8(g) and appeals taken from assessments in the next
    15  succeeding year or the period of time required to hear and
    16  determine appeals arising from application for the homestead
    17  exclusion. An auxiliary appeal board shall be composed of three
    18  members who shall be appointed by the county commissioners to
    19  serve for the time that the auxiliary appeal board is in
    20  existence. Members of an auxiliary appeal board shall be
    21  competent and qualified residents of the county. Vacancies on an
    22  auxiliary appeal board shall be filled by appointment by the
    23  county commissioners for the duration of the auxiliary appeal
    24  board's existence, but the unavailability of a member of the
    25  board for a scheduled hearing for which an alternate member may
    26  be appointed in accordance with subsection (c) shall not be
    27  considered a vacancy on the board. Any salary of members of an
    28  auxiliary appeal board shall be fixed by the salary board of the
    29  county. The authority of an auxiliary appeal board shall be
    30  limited to hearing and determining appeals from assessments in
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     1  accordance with the provisions of this act and the rules and
     2  regulations established pursuant to section 5. [After one or
     3  more auxiliary appeal boards have been established in accordance
     4  with this section, additional auxiliary appeal boards may be
     5  established only in conjunction with a succeeding countywide
     6  revision of assessments.]
     7     * * *
     8     Section 2.  This act shall take effect in 60 days              <--
     9  IMMEDIATELY.                                                      <--














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