Onorato Urges Gov. Corbett To Veto Washington Co. Moratorium Bill
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Governor Corbett should veto a bill that gives Washington County, but no other county, a moratorium on property reassessment.
That is what Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato said in an interview Friday.
"It's another example of what's wrong with Harrisburg," says Onorato. "It is broken up there."
Onorato was angry when a House-passed statewide moratorium on all court-ordered reassessments was changed in the Senate.
"In the Senate, it got amended to take everybody out except Washington County," he says. "I believe if you had any doubt this was unconstitutional, there's no doubt now."
Like Allegheny County, Washington County was facing a court-ordered reassessment, but only Washington County got relief from lawmakers.
Onorato urged Governor Corbett to veto the bill. He says singling out one county for special treatment is unfair to taxpayers everywhere else in the state.
"The bill's unconstitutional," Onorato says. "He shouldn't sign it. The state Senate shouldn't have voted for it, and the House shouldn't have concurred in it. It's wrong. It's constitutional. It's unfair."
State Senator John Pippy authored the amendment stripping the other counties out of the moratorium.
He was not available for comment, but Harrisburg sources say he had no choice because his Republican Senate Caucus would not go along with a statewide moratorium.
Onorato says that just makes his point.
"The system is broken," Onorato insists. "Harrisburg needs to fix it. They won't do it, so they come up with crazy pieces of legislation like this bill we're talking about."
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