June 2013
Cedar Park Neighbors Newsletter President’s Message: Many Reasons to Love Cedar Park By Michael Froehlich here are 23 homes on my block T of South 48th Street. My neighbors include folks who have lived here for 25 years and are now retired, at least five families with young children who have moved here within the past 10 years, single people, renters, owners, people of different races and different backgrounds. It’s a stable block and a social block. And it’s one of the many reasons I love living in Cedar Park. This is why I worry about the Actual Value Initiative (AVI) and the coming tax changes that are now being debated in City Hall. Will I still feel this way about my block in three years? For years, the City’s approach to property tax assessments was lackadaisical at best.
Then, in an attempt to address this, the City’s Office of Property Assessment (OPA) reassessed 450,000 homes across the City all at once. Based on the new assessments, City Council will now adopt a new property tax rate and methodology by the end of June. While some will see their taxes increase, many others will see their taxes go down. In fact, with the right mix of gentrification relief, a report prepared for City Council found that 80% of residents in our third Councilmanic district will actually see their property taxes go down. Unfortunately, according to a map prepared by Cedar Park resident Casey Thomas (available at axisphilly.com), most in Cedar Park will likely see their property taxes go up — some by a very significant continued on page 6
ve o l I t W ha edar C about ... Park
CPN President Michael Froehlich
CPN has a new phone number: 267-BALT-AVE (267-225-8283)
I like how much better the park looks after Clean Up Day, which I helped out with! And the seesaw is really cool, too. — Stephanie
The atmosphere, the socializing, the nature...what’s not to love? — Debbie