Allegheny County will appeal a Common Pleas Court order to complete a reassessment of all property over the next four years, County Executive Dan Onorato announced this afternoon.

Mr. Onorato said the appeal would give the state Legislature time to deal with his call for a statewide solution to assessment problems. He appealed to the Legislature after the state Supreme Court earlier this year tossed out the county's decision to assess property at its 2002 value, establishing a base-year system similar to that used in most counties.

Mr. Onorato said the assessment system has to be fixed on a statewide basis rather than county by county. A bill already approved by the state House would provide a two-year moratorium on new assessments in all county while the Legislature studies the issue and tries to come up with a new system.

The Supreme Court agreed with Common Pleas Judge R. Stanton Wettick Jr., who ruled the system was unfair because it allowed values to stay artificially high in declining communities and too low in growing areas.

Last week, Judge Wettick ordered the county to divide property into four segments and assess a new segment each year with a goal of finishing a full assessment and implementing it by 2014.

An attorney for some property owners also said last week he would appeal because Judge Wettick's plan would allow unfair assessments to stay in place for another four years.

The county's appeal will go to Commonwealth Court.

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