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Lawyer: Is There Enough Time Left For Reassessment Hearings? PDF Print E-mail

Times Leader 8/27/08
     Bruce Phillips said his Wilkes-Barre law firm has filed 160 formal assessment appeals, and most of them have not yet been scheduled.    
     “Here we are at the end of August. How are they going to get them all in?” said Phillips, of Wetzel Caverly Shea Phillips & Rodgers.
     Attorney John Rodgers, who is handling about 80 appeals for the firm, said only six of his hearings have been held to date. Another 10 have been scheduled through Sept. 5, he said.
      That leaves about 60 to be scheduled before Luzerne County’s Oct. 31 deadline to hear them.
      Rodgers said the county must provide a 20-day notice of all hearings, which further cuts into the days available to hear them. 
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Laflin Swears In New Tax Collector PDF Print E-mail

Charles Boyd Jr. takes over for 12-year incumbent Jeanne Blaum, who died on Sunday.

Times Leader 3/10/09

LAFLIN – Effective today, borough residents have a new tax collector, replacing Jeanne Blaum, who died Sunday evening.
     Council asked Charles Boyd Jr if he would be willing to take over Blaum’s term, as he was familiar with the borough’s financial issues, and he was sworn into the post during Monday’s council meeting with immediate effect.
     If Blaum, the 12-year incumbent, had died after the monthly meeting, the borough could have been without a tax collector during the busiest time of the tax year for a month, and the borough needs the revenue, council members noted.
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Our Current Community Projects PDF Print E-mail
The law firm of Wetzel, Caverly, Shea, Phillips & Rodgers is committed to enriching the lives of people within our community. Our law firm proudly sponsors the following community events and programs:
  • Helping Hands Society of Luzerne, Carbon, and Schuylkill Counties
  • Catholic Social Servies Foster Children Christmas Party
  • Jean Brunozzi Memorial Golf Tournament
  • Wilkes-Barre Township Fishing Derby
  • Dallas Girls Soccer Booster Club
  • Leslie Universilty Links
  • Girl Scouts - GSHPA Troop 33300
  • Chad Lewis Fund
  • Georgetown Friars Club
 
Homeowners plan legal fight PDF Print E-mail
Written by Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com Luzerne County Reporter   

Lawyers are already working on an attempt to halt the project, an activist says.

Times Leader 9/10/08

     Hanover Township property owner Vic Kopko said litigation to try to stop Luzerne County’s reassessment is “inevitable” because commissioners haven’t voted to halt the project.
HOT TOPIC: Reassessment Read more Property Reassessments articles
     “This thing is much larger than the county commissioners could even imagine. There are multiple attorneys working on this,” said Kopko, who is working with lawyers from Wetzel, Caverly, Shea, Phillips & Rodgers in Wilkes-Barre.
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Reassessment suit is on way, activist claims PDF Print E-mail
Written by Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com Luzerne County Reporter   

Vic Kopko says the process was not uniform and was full of errors.

Times Leader 1/9/09

     Hanover Township property owner Vic Kopko said he and his lawyers are putting the “finishing touches” on a lawsuit attempting to throw out Luzerne County’s reassessment.
     Kopko, a college professor, said the suit could be filed as early as next week. He is meeting Tuesday with lawyers from Wetzel, Caverly, Shea, Phillips & Rodgers in Wilkes-Barre to finalize a filing date.
     He said he was willing to back away from a suit if commissioners agreed to do three things: not raise taxes in future years; implement a plan to correct over- and under-valued properties; and aggressively fight to replace property tax with earned income and/or sales tax.
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