HOLLIDAYSBURG -- Judge Elizabeth Doyle dismissed a lawsuit Monday filed by a citizens group known as Blair County Citizens for Accurate Reassessment.

The BCCAR had sued the county's chief assessor DeAnna Heichel, the board of appeals and the company that conducted the most recent property tax assessment, Evaluator Services and Technology.

Evaluator Services and Technology assessed the property tax values in the summer of 2016, and county leaders certified the numbers last December.

Before the certification, crowds of property owners protested in front of the county courthouse.

David Ross said his taxes were increased by over 600 percent -- a price he claims he cannot afford.

Ross said he also does not see the reason for the increase, adding, "Last time I looked, I didn't have any oil wells or gold mines in my backyard."

The BCCAR's secretary, Richard Latker, said during the court proceedings earlier this year, "We're not citizens against the assessment, rather we're citizens for an accurate reassessment."

He said their case is not solely focused on the tax values, but the process itself.

Judge Doyle writes that the court "sympathizes with the elderly, the infirm and low-income" families affected by the tax changes.

She writes that it's common for citizens to be frustrated after an assessment, and also notes that this was the first property tax assessment since 1958.

She said anyone who has concerns about their properties' assessed values has been able to appeal.

The BCCAR had concerns with the appeals process as well, but the judge said any change to the process would be a legislative decision, not one made by the court in this case.

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