BRT Reform Legislation Easily Passes Council

City Council just approved legislation to abolish the troubled Board of Revision of Taxes. The vote was 15-2, with Council members Janie Blackwell and Curtis Jones Jr. the only dissenting voices.

After predictions of drama, the bill passed without even a peep of discussion.

If approved by voters, the legislation will create an assessment body under the mayor's supervision and an independent assessment appeals board effective Sept. 30. The reform effort comes after a series of stories in the Philadelphia Inquirer that detailed inaccurate assessments and mismanagement at the agency.