(1) The Office of Property Assessment is hereby created within the Executive/Administrative branch of City government, effective immediately.
(2) The Mayor, with the advice and consent of a majority of all the members of the Council, shall appoint a Chief Assessment Officer who shall direct the work of the Office of Property Assessment.
(3) The Chief Assessment Officer shall serve for a term of four years, with the initial term commencing July 1, 2010, and shall be exempt from civil service, but may only be removed for cause under the procedure set forth in subsection 2-302(6).
(4) The Chief Assessment Officer shall appoint such other employees as are required to conduct the work of the Office, but the number and compensation of such employees shall be subject to the approval of the Mayor. The Chief Assessment Officer shall be treated as the head of a department for purposes of the appointment of deputies under Section 3-701 of the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter, and the Office of Property Assessment shall be treated as a department for purposes of determining the number of such deputies who may be exempt from civil service under Section 7-301 of the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter. All employees whose work responsibilities include determining real property assessments and valuations shall have relevant and appropriate qualifications, including any state-regulated certifications, as determined by the Civil Service Commission in consultation with the Chief Assessment Officer.
(5) The Chief Assessment Officer shall be an International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) Certified Assessment Evaluator (CAE), or hold the highest-ranking Commonwealth appraiser's license, shall have had a minimum of ten years of progressively responsible professional experience in the management of property valuation, and shall have a firm command of assessment and taxation practices.