Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Tax Incentives Lerta topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Williamsport council advances residential and commercial LERTA changes to speed tax-abatement approvals
Summary
Council approved first-reading repeal and reenactments of the city's residential and commercial Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA) ordinances to streamline application timing and administration. Officials said the change ties applications to building permits and could improve program administration and uptake.
Williamsport City Council on Aug. 7 approved first readings to repeal and reenact both the residential and commercial Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA) ordinances, a move city staff said will simplify approvals and tie applications to building permits instead of occupancy permits.
City staff and council members described LERTA as a 10-year phased tax-abatement program that spreads increases in assessed value over a decade. The city's community development staff said aligning the application with the building-permit stage gives the city an earlier opportunity to deny benefits on grounds such as unpaid taxes, rather than after a project reaches occupancy.
The ordinance changes were presented by a community development official who said his office handles LERTA application approvals. Finance committee members praised the changes as a simplification that should speed decisions for applicants and reduce administrative friction. Committee members also asked staff for follow-up data on program use.
Community development staff provided program metrics: roughly a dozen active residential LERTA applications are now in the pipeline; staff estimated the residential applications have added about $1.5 million to the city's tax base, while the commercial program has added about $3.5 million. Council members said staff will produce the regular fall report on LERTA activity in October.
Council members also noted that the county and the Williamsport Area School District are not participating in the residential LERTA; the residential program is set to expire in 2026. Council discussion raised the possibility of designing a more targeted residential LERTA in future years to help secure county or school-district participation.
Both ordinance items passed their first readings by 7-0 roll calls. Because both were advanced on first reading, they will return for subsequent readings or final action in future meetings.
Council members and staff said the changes are intended to make applications faster (staff estimated a likely two-week turnaround once the streamlined rules are in place) and to enable better tracking of the program's benefits to the city's tax base and development activity.
Looking ahead, council asked staff to report back with the fuller dataset when the program window closes, so the city can evaluate whether changes made now should be retained or revised.
