The group met at a new place for the third straight month, this time at St. Mark’s, so the events would have new attendees.
Last Thursday night, the Frankford Civic Association welcomed a representative from the Office of Property Assessment to answer questions about the office and delivered updates on community news and upcoming events in the neighborhood. This was the first meeting held at St. Mark’s Church, 4442 Frankford Ave., since March. The two previous meetings were held at other locations in Frankford in an effort to help bring the meetings to more people.
Salima Cunningham, communications and community outreach coordinator for the OPA, talked about her role with the office and what specifically it provides for the residents of Philadelphia.
Cunningham explained that there are 560,000-plus parcels in the city, and 500,000 of them are residential.
She explained what the Homestead Exemption was and how it may work in the near future. From phila.gov, it states that, “If you own property in Philadelphia and it is your primary residence, you are eligible for the Homestead Exemption on your Real Estate Tax. It works by reducing the taxable portion of your property assessment by $30,000. Most homeowners save about $400 a year on their Real Estate Tax bill.”
There is currently a proposal that would raise Philadelphia’s Homestead Exemption to $40,000.
Cunningham said there is a lot of information online and encouraged people to reach out if they had additional questions.
In other news, the Frankford-Bridesburg March & Bike Ride for Peace is set to take place Saturday, June 16, at 9:30 a.m., starting at Jefferson Frankford Hospital, 4900 Frankford Ave.
Those who are present early can enter the free raffle for a bike giveaway. Ten bikes will be raffled off to kids, then another half-dozen or so will be raffled off to the public. There will be plenty of vendors present for this event as well. Those attending are encouraged to wear orange. The event is scheduled to take place rain or shine.
The Frankford Neighborhood Advisory Council zoning meeting will take place at Second Baptist Church, 1801 Meadow St., in Thursday, June 14, at 6:30 p.m. There are multiple cases set to be reviewed at the meeting. ••
