ReAssessment Anguish

Yesterday, the phones at Molovinsky Property Management, and it's subsidiary, Bubbameister Consultations, rang off the hook. Clients were distraught after opening their reassessment notices from Lehigh County. We were able to calm most of them down, by referring them to the line under the former and new valuations. Based on this Preliminary value, your projected real estate taxes (County, Municipality and School District) should decrease due to reassessment. Our staff analyzed the data, and for many with the decrease projection, disappointment may be soon visiting. On the surface it appears that a property can withstand an increase up to 50% in valuation, without an actual tax increase, but those projections might not hold clear. Although Allentown includes trash removal in it's tax, the surrounding municipalities do not. Furthermore, the 2013 projections do not include the proposed tax hikes in most school districts. We therefore conclude, that a property with a 45% increase in valuation, projected to receive a 10% tax reduction, will most likely have a 2013 tax bill the same, if not slightly more, than 2012.
UPDATE: The Allentown municipal tax figures provided by the county for comparison, have the trash fee separated out.

photocredit: Carl Rubrecht