Saturday, May 8, 2010

“Planet Election Guide: Property tax hike” plus 3 more

“Planet Election Guide: Property tax hike” plus 3 more

Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Planet Election Guide: Property tax hike

Posted: 08 May 2010 06:44 AM PDT

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Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Local school districts realize slight decrease in state-funded property tax relief

Posted: 08 May 2010 01:45 AM PDT

News:

Local school districts realize slight decrease in state-funded property tax relief

By MARCIE SCHELLHAMMER
Era Reporter
marcie@bradfordera.com

The Pennsylvania Department of Education has released the figures for state-funded property tax relief for next school year, showing a slight decrease to local districts.

Leah Harris, spokesperson for the Department of Education, said the overall amount of money in the tax relief program is greater this year than last, but more homesteads and farmsteads have been approved for relief.

"There's a gross increase of three million dollars," Harris explained. The total amount is just being spread around a little more, she said.

According to the department's figures, there were 5,120 property owners approved for relief in the Bradford Area School District for the 2010-11 school year. The estimated amount of tax relief per property owner is $297. Last year, the amount of savings was $305.

There were 2,197 property owners approved in the Kane Area School District. Each will receive an estimated $155 in tax relief. Last year, the amount of savings for Kane area residents was $157.

In the Port Allegany School District, there were 1,724 property owners approved for an estimated $188 in relief each. For the 2009-10 school year, the relief was in the amount of $216.

Harris said the numbers for the Smethport and Otto-Eldred districts had yet to be submitted to the Department of Education. Therefore, no amounts for relief were immediately available.

"The school districts do their own calculations," she said, explaining those numbers are reported to the state so "we know generally how much taxpayers will receive. By law, we have to notify taxpayers by May 1."

The total amount of money the state is allocating for property tax reduction in the Smethport district is $315,588.97; and for Otto-Eldred, is $188,562.65.

In Cameron County, where there is only one, countywide district, the total state allocation was $432,206.74 for 1,584 approved property owners, meaning an estimated savings of $273 per property owner, a $4 reduction from the previous year.

In Elk County, the 1,435 eligible property owners in Johnsonburg Area School District will each receive $198 in tax relief, down slightly from $201 last year. The 2,024 eligible property owners in the Ridgway Area School District will each see a savings of $174, down just two dollars from last year. In St. Marys Area School District, the 5,865 eligible property owners will each see $59 in savings, one dollar less than last year.

For Potter County, the 409 eligible property owners in Austin Area School District will each see $324 in tax relief. Last year, the tax relief was $358 per property owner.

In the Coudersport Area School District, the 1,339 eligible property owners will each receive $188 in relief; last year's amount was $217. In the Galeton Area School District, the 830 eligible property owners will receive $213 in savings; last year's savings were $235. In the Northern Potter School District, 1,079 property owners will receive tax relief of $218; last year's was $249. The Oswayo Valley School District has 884 eligible property owners, who will each receive $152 in savings; last year's amount was $170.

The tax relief is a result of gaming revenues from the state.

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Coles residents to begin receiving property tax bills

Posted: 07 May 2010 11:28 PM PDT

Monday, May 3, 2010 7:23 PM CDT
Coles residents to begin receiving property tax bills

Staff Report

CHARLESTON — Coles County property taxpayers soon will receive their real estate tax bill.

Tax bills were to be mailed out Friday, according to George Edwards, Coles County treasurer.

The due date for the first installment of property tax payments is June 1.

The second installment will be due Sept. 3, Edwards said. That will allow 90 days between installments.

"We're maybe three weeks ahead of last year," Edwards said of the tax statements. "There were no special mandates this year. It was just kind of a normal year."

Real estate taxes may be paid at the treasurer's office in the courthouse in Charleston.

They also may be paid at most banks in the county. For after-hours payments, people can use drop boxes located near the handicap entrance on the south side of the courthouse or at Mattoon City Hall where residents also pay water bills.

While the county has accepted MasterCard and Discovery credit card payments for several years, Visa also is acceptable for payment this year, Edwards said.

The treasurer also noted that the homeowner's exemption has increased to $6,000 this year.

The exemption was $5,500 last year and $5,000 in 2008, he said.


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Property tax to keep homeless center open

Posted: 08 May 2010 02:13 AM PDT

RENO – County and city officials voted at a joint meeting on Monday to renew a cooperative agreement for the Community Assistance Center (CAC), choosing a funding option that dedicates a portion of each entity's existing property tax to provide more than $1.9 million to keep the center open.

The CAC helps the homeless and provides three emergency shelters: one for men, one for women and one for families. The center also provides other outreach services to assist with medical care and various needs. It's been operating since 2008 and it is funded through the pooled resources of the cities of Reno and Sparks and Washoe County, as well as other private foundations.

However, the entities only planned to keep it running in the short term, hoping a nonprofit would take over and manage the center. The CAC serves not only the homeless, but those who struggle with mental illness and substance abuse as well. Staff reports for the joint meeting state 20 percent of clients at the CAC's Resource Center are not homeless.

Maureen McKissick, Reno's grant and fund development manager, said the center has taken steps to help reduce the 2010-2011 budget by eliminating evening meals and presented the two options that would include reductions and ways to generate revenue.

"We've looked at another option to help create permanent dedicated funding, making the project more sustainable," McKissick said, asking officials to decide which option to pursue.

In the first option, the jurisdictions identified $999,000 in revenues through Reno's emergency shelter grant funds, Washoe County's general funds and indigent care and Sparks' general funds. However, this option would end up leaving a shortfall between $444,000 and $481,000, in which case a major fundraising effort would be necessary. The second option would require the area governments to contribute their sales tax.

Washoe County would give an equivalent of 1 cent of property tax, or $1.34 million, Reno would give the equivalent of a half-cent of property tax, or $375,000 and Sparks to contribute the equivalent of a half-cent of property tax, or $100,000.

This option was approved.

Staff did follow up with a request by the jurisdictions about looking into implementing a fee for clients who enter the CAC and found, based on research in two states – Hawaii and New York – that have imposed a similar fee, that clients who must pay to use the services are more likely to become independent and are able to maintain it than those who do not pay for services. If Reno's CAC were to put a fee in place, criteria would have to be developed based on the client's income, length of stay or a combination of current and future resources that would need to go through a screening process.

A staff report states this second option would be beneficial to help transition the project to a qualified nonprofit and create fund development to focus on increasing the endowment rather than split fundraising efforts between the operating budget and endowment.

The Reno council members gave the assurance that no new property tax is being created by approving the option.

"It's something to look at for a stable source," Reno Councilwoman Jessica Sferrazza said. "Option two does not mean we're moving forward with an increase. It's just an equivalent."

The approval was made unanimously by the council and cities.

Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.
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