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Tuesday, October 27, 2009

BRT Board Members A No-Show At Reform Hearing

City Council's Committee of the Whole has been holding a hearing for more than an hour now about how to reform the troubled Board of Revision of Taxes.  Missing from the hearing:  All six BRT board members.  That rankles Councilman Frank DiCicco, who noted the board members were invited to offer their thoughts on the legislation being debated.

“Not to be here today I think is very insulting to the citizens of Philadelphia,” DiCicco said, wondering how Council can act to improve the board's practices without their input.  “They’re not here to answer any of these questions."

DiCicco vowed to push for a ban that would prevent any current BRT board member from serving in a post at whatever governmental entity or entities that eventually take over those responsibilities.

BRT chairwoman Charlesretta Meade submitted a two-page letter last Friday in lieu of testimony today.  Meade calls "problematic" the plan proposed by Council and endorsed by Mayor Nutter to place "the appeal process with the same body of government as the assessment process."

The legislation would actually split those functions by abolishing the BRT by 2011 and creating a new Office of Property Assessment and a Board of Property Assessment Appeals.
Posted by Chris Brennan @ 12:54 PM  Permalink | 4 comments
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:23 PM, 10/27/2009
    Ironic, since Meade sat on the appeals board within the BRT, the same Board of Revision of Taxes that sets assessments. Note that it is called the "Board" of Revision of Taxes, not Dept. of Taxation. The Board of Appeals sat within the Board of Revision of Taxes. The two functions were entirely in one agency where there little separation or checks and balances provided. Thanks to Brennan and Lucey for covering these hearings.
    — CleanupPhilly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:34 PM, 10/27/2009
    Unless these people posted bail, you're not going to get them in any proceeding holding them accountable. They know what they're guilty of. The less said for them the better.
    — CleanupPhilly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:11 PM, 10/27/2009
    Showing up would constitute "work", a foreign concept to the patronage hacks.
    — citylumberjack
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:03 PM, 10/27/2009
    Philly, Get ready to pay more real estate taxes when the new agency takes over. You wanted to end the BRT, you pushed for it,you got it, and now you will pay through the nose because of your stupidity.
    — tellsitlikeitis


4 comments
About The Philly Clout Team
PhillyClout
Chris Brennan, a native Philadelphian and graduate of Temple University, joined the Daily News in 1999. He has written about SEPTA, the Philadelphia School District, the legalization of casino gambling, state government, the mayor, the governor, City Council and political campaigns.
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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics ­– which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
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Catherine Lucey joined the Daily News in 2002 and has written about murderous drug gangs, political protesters and Harry Potter. After covering the 2007 mayoral election, she moved over to the City Hall bureau where she has been reporting on the Nutter administration.
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Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans.
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Catherine Lucey
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Chris Brennan
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Jan Ransom
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