by KYW's Mike Dunn

A key vote is now scheduled for next week involving a controversial plan to overhaul property taxes in Philadelphia.

The Board of Revision of Taxes will vote July 17th on whether to release its newest property values to City Council and the mayor later in the year.

Those values are the early calculations of a computerized assessment system that is still being tested as part of a long-delayed change to what is called "Full Market Valuation."  That plan involves taxing each of the more than 600,000 properties in the city at 100-percent of market value.

The figures are not yet being used for determining property taxes. 

Spokesman Kevin Feeley stresses that next week's vote by the BRT is simply on releasing the figures, not on whether to move ahead with the new system:

"It is not an implementation of the full value project. People should not anticipate seeing notices in the mail that reflect the implementation of full value. That's not what's happening here."

Feeley says the BRT is not going to rush this change:

"We recognize that people have concerns about these issues. We recognize that people want to see a full and fair public debate about these issues. And the BRT has no interest in doing anything unilaterally or ahead of schedule."

Mayor Nutter supports the move to Full Market Valuation in principle. City Council members have voiced concerns that the assessment change could hurt constituents, and some have already vowed to fight it.

If 'Full Market Valuation' is implemented, Council and the mayor could consider adjusting the tax rate, and creating temporary buffers, so the new values don't smack homeowners with big increases.