The group that is challenging Blair County’s property reassessment effort has hired a high-profile lawyer to represent it in a lawsuit against the county.
Former state Deputy Attorney General Robert Donaldson will press the case on behalf of Blair County Citizens for Accurate Reassessment. The group’s lawsuit accuses the county of violating due process, manipulating assessment data, putting in place a flawed appeal process, and unlawfully taxing tax-exempt properties, such as church parking lots and cemeteries. It also challenges the constitutionality of the state’s property tax assessment statute.
While many of the arguments against Blair County’s reassessment mirror the problems that Indiana County went through in its assessment, one particular aspect of the lawsuit stands out in relation to our county. It’s Blair County’s hiring of Alan Dornfest as an “independent” consultant to evaluate EST, the assessment company. The lawsuit points out that Dornfest was also hired for the same purpose in both Indiana and Cumberland counties, and his reports were for all intents and purposes identical, even including “cut and paste” sections that were identical in all three counties. The suit also accuses EST’s Tim Barr of using intimidation and pressure to freeze licensed appraisers out of the assessment process.
The suit asks the court to vacate the certification of the assessment, assess damages, order an effective appeal process, and pay damages.
