Great news for homeowners in Westmoreland County, many have seen property values increase by an average of 21 percent, according to The Free-Lance Star.

This is in thanks to a new sewer system.

"Real-estate prices may be falling, but new sewer systems have helped increase Westmoreland County property values by an average of 21 percent since 2006.

More than half of the increase comes from higher appraisals of land and lots made buildable by sewer systems in the Cople and Washington districts, the manager of a reassessment team told county supervisors last night.

'Without the sewer projects, the increase in land values would be less than 10 percent,' said Sonny Fultz, manager of the county reassessment for Pearson Appraisal Services Inc.

Fultz said many low-lying lots near the water were valued between $2,500 and $5,000 in the previous assessment because they could not support septic systems. With the availability of sewer systems, those lots are now worth between $20,000 to $25,000, Fultz said.

'This is the first general reassessment to reflect the impact of sewer projects on land values,' said Fultz, whose team in winding up its reassessment work. The new property values will become the basis for taxes next year."

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