On Friday, Dec. 2, Blair County commissioners are expected to certify the reassessment.
A local resident is urging the board to reconsider.
Aaron Ritchey is the president of the Blair County Citizens for Accurate Reassessment group.
He said he believes that the new property values aren’t fair for his own properties and those in the group.
He says hundreds of residents have reached out to him and have explained that increased taxes may force some out of their homes.
Ritchey acknowledged that counties have a right to issue reassessments.
Any resident upset with their appraisal was encouraged to first seek an appeal.
But Ritchey said going next to the courts only adds to the financial burden but hopes the commissioners don’t follow through with the plan.
“Well, frankly I hope that the county commissioners can understand the inaccuracies and frankly the incompetence of the mass appraisal process and as commissioners in other counties, refuse to certify this and look out for the citizens in Blair County that are really being unfairly treated,” Ritchey said.
Tim Barr, an evaluator for Evaluator Services Technology, said the company is responsible for producing a mass appraisal that focuses on uniformity.
He said the data from the work done in Blair County was sent to a third party evaluator and the information is consistent overall.
Barr said the next opportunity to appeal comes next year for 2018 taxes.
On Tuesday, Nov. 15, the commissioners will hold a meeting to talk more about the reassessment plans.