Corfont receives nod as Central Greene president
The Central Greene School Board saw a change in presidency after retaining the same president for 11 years when board members unanimously elected Andrew Corfont to the top post Monday. Corfont replaces board member George Scott, who is planning on not seeking re-election when his term expires next year, according to district business manager Walter Stout. Corfont formerly served as board vice president.
The board unanimously chose Jane Owen as its vice president.
Both Stout and Dr. Jerome Bartley, district superintendent, thanked Scott for his 11 years of “excellent service” to the board.
In other news, the board heard from its local tax study commission, which recommended under Act 1 or the Pennsylvania Taxpayer Relief Act for the board to offset property taxes by increasing the earned income tax by 0.55 percent. The board took no action on the matter and has until March 13 to do so, said Stout.
Local tax study commissions were created under Act 1 to study school district tax structures and recommend for school boards to either raise the earned income tax or create a personal income tax to offset property taxes.
John Frazier, the chairman of Central Greene’s tax study commission and Greene County’s chief assessor, said deciding which option to recommend was difficult because there are “a number of senior citizens in the school district who need some type of tax relief and a high number of renters who will not benefit from the proposal.” Frazier said about 30 percent of all residents in the district are renters.
“We wanted to give some relief,” said Frazier. “It’s the best we can do based on the options available.”
Commission member Connie Burd said, “We tried to walk the center of the line and recognize that everyone’s having difficulty paying their taxes.”
The commission’s recommendation is non-binding, which allows the school board to choose another option to achieve property tax relief. The voters will have the final say in the May primary in the form of a voter referendum.