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Centre County tax-collector association warns residents about new bill format, asks commissioners to raise future pay
Summary
Bellefonte borough tax collector Deborah Berger told commissioners the county is switching billing vendors and urged residents with mortgage escrows to confirm arrangements; the county association asked commissioners to adjust compensation for the 2026–2029 term.
Deborah Berger, Bellefonte Borough tax collector and president of the Centre County Tax Collector Association, requested that residents be alert to changes in the county's real-estate tax billing and urged the Board of Commissioners to consider an increase in tax‑collector compensation for the 2026–2029 term.
Berger said the county is changing vendors from RBA to a company she identified as GSS of Wayne County. Interim bills will be mailed beginning Feb. 1 and real‑estate bills in March. The new mailer will be a trifold bill rather than the familiar municipal envelope, she said, and some taxpayers could receive two bills if their municipality remains with RBA. “If your municipality decided to stay with RBA out of Lamont, you will receive 2 bills,” Berger said, warning that homeowners should not discard duplicates and that payments should continue to be made to the collector specified on the mailer.
She also said elected collectors will not be mailing escrow statements to mortgage companies, and recommended that taxpayers with mortgage escrows confirm that their lender receives the bill figures. Berger described technology and internet access costs she said some collectors incurred when the county required computerization midterm, including purchases of computers and internet boosters in outlying areas.
On compensation, Berger said tax collectors appreciated a 50¢ per‑bill increase enacted for 2025 but asked the commissioners to adopt a larger adjustment for the 2026–2029 term. She said the association requested that compensation for 2026–2027 be adjusted to match the planned increase for 2028–2029; the association calculated that change at $16,254 total for the 30 elected tax collectors (about $541.80 each). Berger said a resolution on collector compensation will go before the board on Feb. 11 and that the deadline for candidates to set compensation before filing is Feb. 15.
No formal action was taken during the public‑comment period; Berger said the tax collectors look forward to the Feb. 11 meeting.
