Tax proposal protested
MENALLEN TWP. – Supervisor Joe Petrucci protested the move being proposed by the Uniontown Area School Board to open a contract for the collection of the 1 percent wage tax, saying the move could lead to cuts in funding for the townships in the school district. “The township supervisors want to keep the present tax collector, Southwest Regional Tax Bureau,” Petrucci said at the regular monthly meeting. “With two tax collectors involved, there would be confusion again and guaranteed less revenue to the township and we can’t afford it.”
Petrucci said the supervisors of every township in the district have signed and sent a letter to the school district, asking them to not change collectors, but to retain Southwest Regional. If the school board would move forward with the proposal, it would be met with protest from 15 township supervisors, Petrucci said.
Petrucci, who serves on the board of Southwest Regional along with other township supervisors, said the tax bureau has increased the township’s tax base by 10 to 15 percent because of their access to state information concerning delinquent taxes, information the township shares.
“If they would change again and go to another collector, Southwest cannot go to the state to see who paid local taxes because the school district is in charge of that,” Petrucci said. “We don’t want them to change.
“The growth for the school district is going to happen in the townships. Uniontown is locked in,” he added. “If (the school board)… cuts our taxes, they’re only hurting ourselves.”
Petrucci said two collectors would affect the residents because they would have to fill out two tax forms since the 1 percent wage tax would be split between both collectors. He added that residents would pay one of two collectors and, if one collector says they haven’t paid the tax, they would have to prove to both that it was paid. He said that would hold up money meant for the school district and townships.
In other business, Supervisor Robert “Tweety” Yatsko clarified that only those residents who are currently paying the streetlight and hydrant charges will pay the increased charge beginning this January. The supervisors said they raised the annual charges at the last monthly meeting because of the rising cost of utilities.
Petrucci, who was absent from the last meeting, said the supervisors increased the fees because “we were increased” and “have to break even,” although, he said, the township may see the funds “slightly” go up because of the increase.
The supervisors voted to raise the annual hydrant charge $3 from the current $10 to $16 for some residents, and the streetlight charge to an annual $29 flat fee. The current streetlight charge ranges from $10 to $30 for some residents because of assessed valuation, according to Petrucci and Supervisor John Yantko. The supervisors contemplated raising fees across the board, but decided against it once solicitor Doug Sepic informed them that there would have to be a tax increase to do that.
The supervisors also:
– Said construction of the salt and anti-skid building, paid for through $37,000 in state and federal grants, should be completed by early next month.
– Noted cleanup week is Oct. 17-21 during regular garbage pickup. Tires and batteries will not be accepted.
– Scheduled trick-or-treat for Oct. 31 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and instructed those who want to participate to leave their porch light on.