Corruption and Ineptitude from another century
Where to start? You call the BRT and the phone is answered by a rude brat that won't transfer your call because she doesn't know how. She must be one of the patronage hires that is not subject to competitive civil service regulations by hiding the BRT payroll in the Philadelphia School District budget. One assessor is out on "extended sick leave" but no one seems to be filling in for him. You ask a simple question as to when the assessors will come into your neighborhood to revalue undervalued property or incorrectly assessed property and good luck getting anything resembling a professional answer. I've gotten the story of the lives of the employees of the BRT, the claim that the paper owes taxes and is underassessed as an explanation for (somehow) why the BRT can't assess my block on time in real time. I asked the Board to give me an explanation as to why my property value is assessed at 100 times the other properties on my block of identical size and condition, and got no response but a form letter that knocked my taxes down to what they were the previous year, but only "temporarily" with no explanation as to when that expires or how this deviance of the formula could be legal. The BRT is a disaster that rivals anything Katrina could have done to an agency and gives all Democrats, especially Philly Democrats, the worst reputation outside the Third World.

why can't I rate these bozos as a 0?
or even negative values?

CITY HOWL: WHO IS CleanupPhilly?
Is he/she employed? Is it a relative of a reporter? His/her writings reinforce what the DN has to say on the BRT.If the DN Editorial can be written by a nameless - faceless person - then Cleanup can get many blogs instead of one. But what has Cleanup REALLY DONE to improve the GDP and quality of life in Philly. Has he/she has no human name? So how can we know if it is legit?

The DN editorial board
Mr. Stivala, thanks for your post. And thanks for signing your name. Cleanup Philly is a frequent poster, with no connection to the paper. I am the editor of the editorial page, and we have five other people who contribute; their names are on the editorial page. If you ever have a beef or a question about an editorial, you can call me; the number is on the page too. Thanks!

Wish there were a "zero rating"
The most embarrassing department among many embarrassing ones

1918 S. Lambert Street
After my father died, our family sold his row house in South Philly for $35,000 and paid all appropriate taxes. The property was then resold for $990 accordng to the BRT website. I wrote to the BRT questioning this sale price and was told it was a "typographical error" and that the correct value was $99,000. There is NO WAY that house was resold for $99,000 and if it was, I want to know how much transfer tax was paid and what the actual sales agreement states. Just one more example of some "fuzzy math" on the BRT website. Why can't we contract out this process to an internet real estate company like Zillow which already has a full value database of nearly all house in the country?

Mayor will Slaughter the Citizen with new taxes-You Fools
Yes our goose is cooked. The mayor will use his new power to raise assessments and not the tax rate...but we all will be paying MORE AND MORE.This is not the change that is good. It is a change that is BAD very BAD.

TAX CHEATS
I've asked and been given the run-around about how is it that my taxes on my house have been raised about three hundred percent in one year and my house is located in the South Philly-Point Breeze area, which we all know is not the best neighborhood in Philly. But while watching TV I saw a house on house hunters located in Washington Sq, worth more than a million dollars and the tax is $191.00 per year. My house is assessed at 12,000.00 and my tax is almost three hundren per year. Now can someone explain this to me. Also, there a new houses being built in this neighborhood and other neighborhood close by, that are getting a 10yr tax abatement, and these house are costing several hundred thousand dollars, but some houses that are only worth a few thousand dollars (like mine) are being taxed up. My feeling is that so many of the people in this neighborhood will soon be taxed out of the area and then those folks that moved to the suburbs some years ago will buy the properties and push the people out who have lived here for years. Again, the mayor is saying that people aren't paying their taxes, or their houses have been undervalued, which is a lie. I can't see how the city is doing all that they can to move out the poorer people and move in the rich.

BRT Phone service
Typing this as I'm on hold waiting for someone from BRT to answer the phone to tell me why my payment that was made on Feb 2, has not been posted to my account yet. I was on hold for 20 minutes listening to the voice coming on about every minute telling me "thanks for holding," "best time to call is between 8:30am - 10:00am" before either someone answered and hung up without saying anything, or I was disconnected. I called back and again on hold. I've been calling since 8:40am, it is now 9:15am, still no answer. Oh, here we go again! The phone is silent...*%#@! hung up on me again without getting answer. See if I'll pay my bill on time next year you sons-of_*%#@!

BRT Phone service cont...
Finally got through to BRT, after 55 minutes on hold C. Davis answered and seemed to be upset, agitated and in a hurry to get me off of the phone before I even ask my question. She says it can take up to 6 weeks for my payment to post to my BRT account and they use the postmark date to give the 1% credit for paying your tax bill before Feb 28. They should give an additional 5% for being on hold so long, and having workers who act as if they are doing you a favor, rather than doing their JOB!

BRT Phone service cont...
Finally got through to BRT, after 55 minutes on hold C. Davis answered and seemed to be upset, agitated and in a hurry to get me off of the phone before I even ask my question. She says it can take up to 6 weeks for my payment to post to my BRT account and they use the postmark date to give the 1% credit for paying your tax bill before Feb 28. They should give an additional 5% for being on hold so long, and having workers who act as if they are doing you a favor, rather than doing their JOB!

BRT Phone service cont...
Finally got through to BRT, after 55 minutes on hold C. Davis answered and seemed to be upset, agitated and in a hurry to get me off of the phone before I even ask my question. She says it can take up to 6 weeks for my payment to post to my BRT account and they use the postmark date to give the 1% credit for paying your tax bill before Feb 28. They should give an additional 5% for being on hold so long, and having workers who act as if they are doing you a favor, rather than doing their JOB!

Rude BRT employee "C. Davis"
I called the BRT this morning regarding the 1% discount off of my 2010 tax bill for paying your taxes by Feb 28. After about 30+ minutes of waiting, an employee who identified himself as "C. Davis" answered with a rude and unprofessional attitude. I ask my question and told “C. Davis” that I did not see where the discount was adjusted toward my bill. He told me to get a calculator and do the math, that it was not his job to explain to me how to calculate my tax bill in a belligerent tone of voice. I ask to speak to a supervisor, but “C. Davis” would not transfer me to a supervisor. He said to give him my phone number and one would call me back (yeah right!). I double checked the BRT web site looking for another number where I could contact a supervisor without any success. So I called 311 to report this unprofessional city employee “C. Davis.” 311 took my complaint and gave me a file # 825916. I don’t know what will come of this 311 complaint, but city employees, or any employee who works in customer service who can not provide service in a professional manner should not be working in that profession. Maybe “C. Davis” should sweeping the floors at night and not answering the phone fielding tax payers’ questions.

SKY ROCKET over charged water bills.
Sky Rocket over charged water bills; NO PIPES in the house--NO WATER METER in in the house everything was stolen property was damaged.

Pay to play
BRT is from the dark ages. Philadelphia always have and always will be pay to play. Unless we the citizens make these _ull _hit _SS politicians accountable for their promises and actions. I JUST LOOKED UP A PROPERTY ON 2927-31 Reed Street PHILADELPHIA, PA 19146 THIS PROPERTY IS JUST SHY OF 9000 SQUARE FEET AND THE ANNUAL PROPERTY TAX IS $169 ARE WE STILL IN THE DAYS OF FUMO? WAKE UP CITIZENS!!!!!!! i FEEL LIKE i AM ALL ALONE IN THIS CITY. WILL SOMEONE HELP ME IN MAKING THIS CITY ACCOUNTABLE?