Sewickley Herald

              A Gateway Publications Newspaper
Sewickley
Vol. 91 No. 3
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Serving Aleppo, Bell Acres, Edgeworth, Glenfield, Haysville, Leet, LeetsdaJn, Osborne, .Srv;:d;!cy, Sc'.v:e!:!cy	Sc-vrichloy F!a!!c
Wednesday, January 19, 1994
■ "i Aiiissn i
jonriston was
fascinated oy
the Native
American
artifacts on
display af
Sweetwater
Art Center's
new exhibit.
acts H<iye <«.
50 Cents i
INSIDE
Things seen
♦	Dressed al in white, -Sewickley's Whitney Wells mode her debut in society et'te annual .Cinderella Ball.
Page 2.
Obituary
♦	Former Osborne. Mayor Raymond Hess Jr. is fondly remembered. He won the Herald's Good Government Award for 1981.
Page 19,
Sports
♦ The Lady Quakers face Northgate tomorrow in what is called a pivotal game of the seaon.
Page 21.
INDEX
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pinion....,,.,... illage Voices.,. hoolNews....
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▼ SEWICKLEY
TREASURES & TRIVIA: Assessing and reassessing donated items for the Porfo.be)!o Market, which will’beo special, feature of the upcoming' Sweetwater Art Center fund-raiser, are, from left: Mary Murphy, Elizabeth Evans and Marta BuzzelJU This year's event, dubbed 'A British Weekend," wili be held Feb, 4-6. For more information, see page .14.. :	;-v--.v .■	O '	' .
Photo by Gary Lavin'
r TAX UPDATE
Help for reassessed QV residents
By MUCUS YOUNG
KeraM Intern
The assessments are out, and.close to 14,009 Quaker Valley residents’ pulses are sure to go up.
"Edgeworth attorney Robert Peirce’s clientele also lias goste tsp.
. Reirce will be representing an “awful lot” of ■ the several hundred residents he has heard front who would like to appeal their assessments.
Peirce’s advice is that anyone with an increase of more than 10 percent should appeal, because it is “highly unlikely” that there will be added increases.	=•
That doesn’t necessarily mean that a client has a good ease.
“You can’t tell just on the basis of percentage,” he explained. “I have to analyze other assessments and market deals.” ,
CALL THE SEWICKLEY HERALD WITH
Peirce, who has lived in Edgeworth for 21 years, has seen his own property assessment rise 110" percent. One of Ms clients has an increase of 309 percent.,	-
“1 knew it was coming because of the ’02 assessments.”
He warns those persons who think they haven’t
been assessed because they didn’t receive anytliing in the mail.
The truth is that many assessments have been sent to the mortgage companies. Residents should • call their'companies as soon as possible, Peirce said. The deadline for appeals is Monday, Feb. 28.
An appeals office has been sat up for Quaker Valley residents. The office, located in the SewicMey Municipal Building, 601 Thorn St., will have all the Keeessaryinfornaationaboatallassessedresidents.
The dates are Tuesday, Feb. 18, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Wednesday, Feb. 16, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Thursday, Feb. 17, from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.
By FRANK TIBONI Staff writer
Four weeks ago, residents jam packed Sewickley Council chambers pleading with council to offer a token gesture in millage reduction to offset Allegheny County’s property-assessment increases.
This past Monday night after thorough investigation, council acceded to its residents’ wishes.
Council unanimously approved re-opening the 1S34 budget, * educing millage from 32 to 28 mills. Council also unanimously approved advertising- the tax-mill-age-rate ordinance af mills to. beofficially voted onMonday, Feb. 7; at 7:30 pan,-.
Borough Manager Kevin Flannery said (hat # percent of . the properties have received an assessment increase. Flannery noted that if the millage were to remain at 32, the borough could expect a windfall of $360,000.
Flannery’s recommendation is for council to approve a reduction, of 4 mills to Create $157,000 in extra monies. Last week, council learned ttiat an extra $211,000 in repairs is needed fop the sewage plant
Flannery said $100,000 of the $157,000 in extra revenues will be allocated toward the repair of the sewage plant. The remaining $57,000 will be put in escrow to cover returns to those residents whowin their assessmentappeals.
At the meeting, Bank Street resident Peter Floyd proposed to Council and the community that they file a legal injunction restraining the use and applicability of the 1994 Allegheny County assessments until they are proved in court to be accurate andequitable county-wide.
InFioyd’scaee, his assessment went up a whopping 2C3 percent, while he reported that his neighbor’s property, whichis similar and adjacent to his, decreased 12 percent.
fax Collector Anthony Qcco said lie lias been in touch with the ■ county about receiving appeal forms and estimates they will be available'within three weeks. Resi-clo.it:.! have until Feb. 28 to file an appeal on their assessment.

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