"We’re here because of the Supreme Court’s mandate to me"-that’s what Judge Wettick said to legal counsel representing the County and opponents of the base year on September 15th, the first hearing following the PA Supreme Court’s April 2009 decision that struck down Allegheny County’s base year. That’s pretty strong language that one would think meant the wheels would be put in motion for fixing an assessment system declared unconstitutional by the state’s highest court.
At the same hearing, the Judge noted "Unless the parties are able to agree [on a time frame and method of reassessment], a hearing will be held" to determine how to get the reassessment completed. There was no mutual agreement, so the matter proceeded to the October 19th hearing in front of the Judge.
At that hearing, two weeks ago today, the Judge heard testimony from the County on why a reassessment would take two years and from the opposing legal counsel on why it can be done sooner rather than later.
So what’s been the holdup for the last two weeks? Consider that the Judge himself has written in previous decisions that the County should have been using the time to get resources ready for a reassessment. Why not take action on the 19th after it was clear that the County and the opposing counsel could not come together on a time frame?
