PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Confused homeowners packed a meeting designed to answer questions about the Allegheny County property assessments.

“The people who listened to Fitzgerald and threw their assessments away – what do they do now?” a man asked.

It was just one of the questions at a community meeting in Homewood since a judge said the new 2012 assessment numbers must be used and the county executive said he was throwing those numbers out.

But there is plenty concerned about the 2012 numbers.

Renee Donahue bought the land next to her home in Point Breeze where she now parks for $2,500. The new assessment values that land at $34,000.

“Now, the bank is not going to give me $34,000 if I wanted a loan on that and they’re not going to give me $201,000 for my house that originally was $64,000,” she said.

Many wonder whether there was any onsite inspection.

“If you are buying a horse, you go out and look at that horse – you check the flanks, you check the height, you check the mouth, you check the hoofs,” Guy Calhoun said. “Nobody has come out and checked my horse.”

At a similar meeting in Squirrel hill, Councilman Corey O’Connor told property owners to fill out formal appeals although the informal appeals have been suspended for now.

“But if you at least file the formal complaint, you’re in that process in case we get a bad court ruling,” he said.

Bottom line is most answers won’t come until Tuesday’s hearing with Judge R. Stanton Wettick.

According to the Allegheny County Office of Property Assessments, formal appeals must be filed on or before March 31st.

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Judge Rules County Must Use 2012 Reassessment, Fitzgerald Not Backing Down(1/6)
Appeals Process Begins For Property Reassessments (1/3)
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How To Appeal Your Property Assessment (12/29)

Allegheny County Office Of Property Assessments
Filing An Assessment Appeal