Board’s switch to new tax collector endangers township, official says
Franklin Township Supervisor George Bozek said the possible move by the Uniontown Area School Board to switch tax collectors from Southwest Regional Tax Bureau (SWRTB) would endanger the township financially in already hard economic times. “It would be a bad move,” said Bozek. “It’s an asinine move.”
He compared the taxes the township receives to the paychecks its residents receive.
“It’s just like in your house. You count every week on your paycheck. Now, I’m not sure what it’s going to be because of the fact that it would be separate collectors,” he said.
The township and school board splits the 1 percent wage tax or one’s local earned income tax 50/50, Bozek said.
A few years ago, the township switched to SWRTB from their previous tax collector, Central Tax Bureau, because the supervisors felt like there was no real communication between the agency and them and that the collections were not reaching their expectations. At the time the township made the switch from Central, collections were about $57,000, Bozek said.
“We went on our own… and our collections increased by 40 percent with Southwest Regional,” he said. “The fact that the entire district is with a sole collector is beneficial to everybody. Your time to receive the money is always current and you know whose money is whose and its not held up.”
Bozek cited the advantages to keeping SWRTB and noted the disadvantages of having two tax collectors, which would result if the school board opts to award a contract to another tax bureau and the township refuses to drop SWRTB.
“Franklin is not changing and wants the school board not to change because it creates a hardship for the residents who would have to file separate returns and the employees who don’t know who to send the money to,” he said.
Bozek said SWRTB has increased the township’s tax revenue over the last several years.
He said in 2001, the township’s second year with the tax bureau, SWRTB collected $814,702. The next year, collections through SWRTB rose to $1,133,583 million, he said. Six months into this year, collections are at $927,000, and Bozek expects them to be over $1 million again.
“I think all of the residents of the Uniontown Area School District should be made aware that (the school district) is going to discuss this and vote on the this decision, and I would like to see them justify these numbers,” said Bozek. “Our collections jumped 23.8 percent from 1999 to 2004. That’s a 25 percent increase.
“How can you event begin to think short of not looking at the people’s best interest?” he said.
Bozek noted that the board of SWRTB, which he is a member of, holds monthly meetings and an election each year to choose executive board members.
“It operates efficiently and we’re audited just like everybody else.
“We’re in the black and we have one of the lowest collection rates,” he said.
Bozek said SWRTB also has a high delinquent tax base collection rate because the tax bureau can purchase information on the amount of the tax local filers have paid.
“And if we don’t have (the tax filers) on our roster, we then notify them.
“If they don’t pay us, we then take action at the local magistrate. Other agencies may not do that,” Bozek said.
The Uniontown Area School Board could vote on the issue Monday night.
In a related matter, Bozek said the supervisors recently received word that because of hard economic times and recent hurricanes, the Bitner-Juniata-Little Summit sewerage project will be put on hold due to the uncertainty of project financing through the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST). Bozek explained that the supervisors are meeting with PENNVEST representatives at the end of the month to see if the funding will be available.
Bozek said in order to keep user fees at a bare minimum, funding is necessary.
Residents’ monthly user fees are projected in the range of $40 to $43 with $1,000 tap-in fees, Bozek said.
He said Widmer Engineering was just beginning to design the project at a cost of $475,000, an expense that would have been split between Franklin and Dunbar townships.
“We were hoping to save once we got into design. Now, we’ve come to a place where we don’t even know if the project will happen,” Bozek said.
The Bute Run Sewage Authority is handling the project.
Funding would determine if the project is a go-ahead, Bozek said.
The supervisors also scheduled trick-or-treating for 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27. Those who wish to participate during the festivities are requested to turn on their porch lights.