In 2013 the long-litigated base year plan for Allegheny County property values effectively ended when new reassessed values were certified countywide. The 2013 taxable value was $79.6 billion, which was $20 billion (34%) higher than the 2012 certified value of $59.1 billion. Just last month the Assessment Office certified values for 2014 which, after accounting for appeals, improvements, and new construction stood at $75 billion, which was $4 billion lower than 2013 but 27% higher than values in 2012.
Countywide, 25 municipalities saw total taxable value in 2014’s certification come in lower than what was certified in 2012, the year prior to the certification of the new assessed values. This ranged from small (less than 1%) changes to more than 20% drops in communities such as Duquesne, Pitcarin, and North Braddock. Three communities with 2012-14 decreases in certified taxable value (Duquesne, Penn Hills, and Clairton) are sole municipal school districts (meaning there are no other municipalities in the school district) so the decrease in value for the municipality and the school district were identical.
The other 22 municipalities are part of various multi-municipal school districts, three districts saw decreases in value as well from 2012-14. They were East Allegheny, South Allegheny, and Sto-Rox. So, overall, from 2012-14 six school districts (these three plus Duquesne, Penn Hills, and Clairton) had decreases in taxable values.
