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Will Council take a hike?

D URING the past three budget cycles, City Council has taken a sizable red pen to Mayor Nutter's revenue proposals.

D URING the past three budget cycles, City Council has taken a sizable red pen to Mayor Nutter's revenue proposals.

Will it do the same with his plan to switch the city to a new property-tax-assessment system?

Council took a wait-and-see attitude yesterday to Nutter's plan to implement a system that uses market-value assessments. The move will effectively make permanent the revenue increases from two tax hikes that had been billed as temporary. Also, Nutter plans to bring in about $90 million more in property taxes next year, all of which would go to the school district.

Many members are struggling with criticism that this is a back-door tax hike. And under Nutter's proposal, Council would have to set a property-tax-revenue goal before residents get new assessments in October.

"I'm absolutely concerned," said Councilman Bobby Henon, one of six new members.

"Everyone should be concerned to get the details and the data before we set the [tax rate]. The district I represent is one that could have two-, three-, four-times increases."

Nutter insisted that this is not a tax hike, just a reflection of the increase in property-tax values in the city. But some Council members do not view it that way.

"If you're going to do it, it should be revenue-neutral, as Councilman Nutter said in 2004," said Councilman Bill Green.

Nutter said that moving to a more equitable property-tax system was simply the right thing to do.

Councilman Jim Kenney agreed that this needs to get done, saying, "It's going to be a difficult time, but it's something we have to do."