Blog Archive

On Oct. 20, Allegheny County Council passed amendments to Article XXIV of the Allegheny County Health Department Rules and Regulation establishing 12 weeks of paid parental leave and expanding paid...

As noted in an August blog, Allegheny County has been ordered by the Court of Common Pleas to reassess its 585,005 taxable and exempt parcels.  The order puts in place...

“[I]t is further the judgment of Council that there is a significant likelihood that the County will be forced to conduct another court-ordered reassessment if no corrective action is taken,...

Pittsburgh City Council raised property taxes 20 percent in December and reopened and passed a revised 2026 operating budget in April,  But if estimates from the Office of Management and...

A three-page court order issued on Aug. 17 directs Allegheny County to begin a countywide reassessment.  This arose from a lawsuit filed in Common Pleas Court in Jan. 2025.  ...

A blog from January noted “property assessments will be a dominant issue for [the Government Review Commission].” At the Aug. 12 commission meeting, a property assessments and taxation draft report...

On Nov. 25, 2025, the Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) board voted against adopting the “Future-Ready Facilities Plan” (Plan). The Plan was designed to address ongoing financial challenges and declining enrollment...

On May 20 the State Tax Equalization Board (STEB) approved the 2025 Common Level Ratios (CLR) for Pennsylvania’s counties.  The CLR “is a ratio that measures how a county’s Base Year Assessments compare with current Real...

Seven months after invalidating the facilities usage fee (“jock tax”) for Pittsburgh, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that another fee is really a tax. In the case Borough of West...

On April 21, the mayor of Pittsburgh signed legislation that wrapped up the 2026 budget.  Unlike state budget impasses, there was an approved budget, though the process was a bit...

At its regular meeting this week, Allegheny County Council will begin the process of considering an ordinance that would “undertake a reassessment of all properties within the County once every...

On March 12, the mayor of Pittsburgh held a press conference to announce that the 2026 operating budget—passed by City Council but not signed by the former mayor—will be reopened...

On Feb. 2, Gov. Josh Shapiro delivered his annual budget presentation to both chambers of the General Assembly. The proposal anticipates general fund revenues of $48.3 billion, while expenditures would...

The first piece of legislation in 2026 taken up by Allegheny County Council’s Committee on Assessment Practices is not to reassess the 2012 base year values and keep them updated. ...

Allegheny County’s Home Rule Charter calls for a nine-member Government Review Commission to “study the Charter and county government, including the organization, practices and responsibilities of all County departments and...