Schuylkill commissioners have chosen a Massachusetts firm to conduct the county’s first reassessment since 1996.

But the choice of Vision Government Solutions Inc., Hudson, won’t be finalized until county solicitors and the Tax Assessment Bureau negotiate a contract.

All three commissioners, Gary J. Hess, George F. Halcovage Jr., and Chairman Barron L. Hetherington, on Wednesday voted in favor of the company.

Tax Assessment Bureau Chief Assessor Kent R. Hatter said three companies responded to the county’s requests for quotes. Companies had until Sept. 30 to respond.

He could not comment further because the contract is being negotiated.

It has to be in place by Dec. 29, according to a court decree from a lawsuit filed by a Harrisburg nonprofit organization to force the reassessment.

Once the contract is in place, by early next year, trained data collectors will begin gathering information from property owners through data mailers, site visits and in-person interviews.

Property owners will be notified about the specific areas of the county where the data collectors will be working.

Computer software will be used to evaluate the properties, ensuring that all properties are valued using the same set of standards.

Certified Pennsylvania Evaluators will review each result and adjust values as necessary in order to establish fairness and consistency.

Property owners will be notified by the county before June 1, 2025, and given an opportunity for an informal review and the ability to correct any data errors.

Change of assessment notices will be mailed on or before July 1, 2025, with the new value, and property owners can begin the formal appeal process to the county Board of Assessment Appeals. The new assessed values will take effect Jan. 1, 2026.

Community Justice Project filed the suit on July 30, 2018. It argued that property evaluations were unfairly determined and created an inequitable tax burden.

The organization has filed several reassessment suits, including Lackawanna and Allegheny counties.

The Pennsylvania Constitution requires property taxation to be uniform and fair.

The county tried to fight the suit, but settled it in May by agreeing to the reassessment rather than continuing to battle it.

The county’s last reassessment was done in 1996 - 26 years ago.

Changes in property values mean some property owners are paying too much and others too little.

According to county officials, the reassessment will result in roughly one-third of property owners paying more, one-third will be paying less, and one-third will pay the same amount.

According to tax records, there are 94,600 properties in the county, including about 60,000-some housing units, Hatter has said.

The numbers of parcels changes constantly due to subdivisions and additions.

This year, the county anticipates a total property tax revenue of $42,772,183.37, providing everyone pays their real estate tax.