The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ordered Allegheny County to reassess the value of all property in the county.

That decision will cost the county approximately $40 million, according to The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and that's just the beginning.

Not only will taxpayers have to cough up an extra $40 million (a 20-percent property tax increase right off the bat), but once the reassessment is done, many homeowners face the prospect of paying more in property taxes.

This is the legacy of 30 years of failure by the Pennsylvania Legislature to address the state's onerous property tax system. This is the failure of Gov. Ed Rendell to deal with property taxes over the past 6 years year.

The Supreme Court made it clear in the Allegheny County case that it intends to order every county in Pennsylvania to do the same. So if you think your property taxes are high now, wait until your county conducts a reassessment.

Some in the Legislature are attempting to address the issue, but the majority of lawmakers have their heads stuck in the sand over the issue.