Reassessment Will be a Mixed Bag for West Side

The number of property owners in West Bethlehem who see their taxes raised will be roughly the same as those who see their taxes fall with the coming Lehigh County property reassessment, according to a municipality-by-municipality breakdown reported by The Express Times.

The analysis provided by county officials shows that 51.8 percent of West Bethlehem properties will see taxes increase while 48.2 percent will see taxes decreased once the reassessment is complete in 2013.

Of those on the West Side who will see their county taxes raised, more than half will see an increase of 10 percent or less and more than 80 percent will have an increase of 20 percent or less. On the flip side, 21 West Bethlehem homes will see county taxes increase by more than 50 percent.

The impact will be revenue-neutral for the county, as any properties that see their values increased will be balanced by those that see their taxable values drop.

Allentown will see the largest number of tax decreases with nearly three-quarters of its property values dropping. The largest number of tax increases will be in Coopersburg and the northwestern part of the county.

Earlier this month, County Commissioners voted 8-1 to override a veto by County Executive Don Cunningham to stop the reassessment from taking place. Cunningham said he thought the real estate market was too volatile for the process.

Preliminary notices on new property values are expected to be mailed on February 23.