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Tunkhannock Area School District board approves tax-collector pay increase, adds 50¢ per mailed bill
Summary
The Tunkhannock Area School District board approved raising tax-collector compensation to $4.50 per real-estate parcel collected and adding a 50¢ payment per mailed bill; the board and administration provided cost estimates and set the change to take effect in 2026.
The Tunkhannock Area School District Board of Education voted to raise tax-collector compensation to $4.50 per real-estate parcel collected and to add a 50¢ payment for each mailed bill, with the change to take effect in 2026.
The increase was approved after a public comment period in which district tax collectors described the time required to prepare and mail bills and asked the board to approve higher pay. District staff told the board the administration’s recommendation was to set compensation at $4.50 per parcel; board members moved to include the additional 50¢-per-mailing payment requested by the tax collectors.
Board and administration presentations and discussion focused on estimated cost and budget impact. District staff said the total parcel count used for estimates is 11,388 and reported a historical collection rate of about 93 percent. Administration projected the additional ongoing cost from the base increase at about $15,000–$18,000 annually, with a worst-case estimate near $30,000. Adding the 50¢ payment for mailed bills was calculated to add about $5,694 to the district’s annual cost. The board was also told the last raise for tax collectors was in 2018.
Several board members emphasized that the increase will affect the district’s broader budget outlook heading into the spring budget process. Administrators and board members noted multiple vendors and employees are asking for increases during a tight budget cycle; the district said the decision must be made now because rules allow the tax-collector request window only in election years and the relevant deadline was imminent.
The motion to include the 50¢ mailing payment passed 5–2. The roll-call vote recorded Dr. O'Shearich (yes), Dr. Prabhala (yes), Mr. Burke (no), Ms. Eckert (yes), Ms. Goebel (yes), Mr. Farr (no) and Ms. Arnold (yes). The board recorded the change as effective in 2026 and instructed administration to incorporate the amount into upcoming budget planning.
Background and next steps: the increase responds to a formal proposal from the local tax-collector association and will be implemented administratively beginning with the 2026 tax-collection cycle. Administrators said they used full-parcel and installment scenarios to estimate cost and will report any final budget adjustments as part of the district’s routine budget process.
