Reassessment Has Somerset Farmers Looking At Options
GAY BROWNLEE
Somerset Co. Correspondent
MEYERSDALE (Somerset
Co.) The second of five infor
mational meetings covering the
topic of Farmland Reassessment
in Somerset County found about
60 persons converging into the
forum room of the Meyersdale
elementary school, eager for any
good news that can help them cut
their real estate taxes.
Shortly after the beginning of
the new year, property owners in
the county will be notified of their
real property assessments, a pro
cess which began in 1995. The last
one was done in 1974.
“There is a lot of misunder
standing and this series of meet
ings is something we are having
around the county, so that next
spring you can make some in
formed decisions,” said Bob
Brown, director of the county ex
tension service in Somerset.
“Clean and Green and Farm
land Preservation are not the same
thing,” he stated. “With Clean and
Green you keep complete control
over your land.”
The landowners, however, by
meeting’s end seemed still uncer
tain that Clean and Green Act
319 The Pennsylvania Farm
land and Assessment Act of 1974
would achieve the right end if
they applied and were found eligi
ble.
Talking among themselves
several said outright that they will
probably just pay the higher taxes
and be done with it.
What the landowners viewed as
a sticking point in the Act’s three
“Use-value Assessment” categor
ies was the criteria listed in that of
“Agricultural Reserve.”
Sandwiched between Agricul
tural Use and Forest Reserve, the
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landowners found much to ponder
in Agricultural Reserve five main
points, especially the last three.
Agricultural reserve (land th at
is capable of, but not currently be
ing farmed), cannot be less than
10 contiguous acres in area; it
must be noncommercial; it must
be open to the public and used for
outdoor recreation or for enjoy
ment of scenic or natural beauty;
no charge or fee for using the land;
no discrimination against persons
using the land.
“In agricultural reserve,” said
John Riley, the Somerset County
chief assessor, “you can’t post the
land, you must keep it open to
public use.
Riley said that somebody at the
previous meeting that some 90
persons attended at the courthouse
in Somerset, raised the liability is
sue if a landowner has land in ag
reserve and must allow the public
to use it.
Riley said the farmer should be
protected unless he has been
negligent in some way. He did im
ply, however, that there’s no guar
antee against a shrewd attorney
hired by a person who is involved
in an incident while on that par
ticular piece of acreage.
Clean and Green’s positive
benefits impressed dairyman Bill
Yoder from Meyersdale RD who
puts his dairy animals through a
rotational and intensive grazing
setup.
“I’ll probably apply if it can
save on my taxes,” he said, reflect
ing on the statements made by
Brown and Riley. “I want to make
sure my land is fairly assessed,”
he added.
“This is what’s important about
Clean and Green, you can save
money on taxes,” said Riley add
ing that getting the word out to
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Bob Brown (center), director of the county extension in Somerset, answers Indivi
dual questions regarding Clean and Green (Act 319).
landowners of 10 or more acres
that are devoted to agriculture, is
necessary.
June 1, 1997 is the deadline for
the applications to be in. But ap
plicants were and are urged to turn
in their completed forms now
without the final signature, to ex
pedite the process before the final
date.
“The new assessed values are
absolutely going to be higher than
the current assessed values,” Riley
predicted.
To illustrate how assessed value
and fair market value are evalu
ated, Riley used an overhead
projector to show a breakdown of
two anonymous farms that recent
ly, were sold in separate Somerset
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He said that some properties are
assessed too high and others, too
low, as the numbers from the two
farms illustrated.
“The whole purpose of re
evaluation,” he said, “is to get
everyone in the middle.”
Following the presentation, of
ficials went amongst the group to
answer individual questions, an
approach unlike that in Somerset
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where efforts to answer questions
from the front of the room were
not as satisfactory.
Assisting Brown and Riley
were Joe Hudack from the county
assessment office. He was in
charge of the Clean and Green ap
plications. Alan Miller, assistant
chief assessor, and from appraiser
Cole-Layer Trumble, David Depp
project manager and Stan Sitko.