East Penn School Board approves limited exception for misrouted real-estate tax payments

The East Penn School District Board on a unanimous roll-call vote approved a limited resolution allowing certain taxpayers to receive discount-period credit when third‑party bill‑pay services misroute their real‑estate tax payments.

Solicitor Fisher told the board that Pennsylvania law generally holds taxpayers responsible for making timely tax payments, but that limited exceptions apply when a payment error occurs through no fault of the taxpayer. He said third‑party bill‑pay companies, including Wells Fargo’s bill‑pay service, “misrouted the payment” by sending checks to a municipal bank account rather than to the tax collector, and that affected municipalities began refund processes that can take “up to 5 weeks.”

Fisher described the resolution as a narrowly tailored accommodation: it permits the district to treat an affected payment as timely for discount purposes provided the taxpayer meets requirements set forth in the board’s resolution and the error was not caused by the taxpayer, the tax collector, the municipality or the school district.

Board members voiced support for helping residents who were disadvantaged by the processing error. After discussion, the board approved the resolution by roll-call vote; board members recorded affirmative votes on the record.

The board did not specify individual mover or seconder during the public transcript, and the resolution’s text and the precise administrative steps for processing individual claims were discussed as part of the motion. The district’s legal summary named the underlying authority only as Pennsylvania law governing tax payment responsibilities.

The board did not set a separate public deadline for claims during the meeting; taxpayers seeking a refund or exception should consult the district’s posted resolution and contact the tax office for instructions.