Pittsburg, Crawford County officials weigh refunds, credits after mill-rate calculation error raised levy

PITTSBURG — City and Crawford County officials met Jan. 22 to review a mill-rate calculation error that increased Pittsburgh's adopted levy from 50.854 to 52.006 and produced an estimated $207,000 in excess distributable tax revenue.

Darren Hall, Pittsburgh city manager, told the joint session that the city's submitted mill rate was 50.854 but the county's final certification showed 52.006 after year-end valuation changes. "Our mill that we submitted was 50.854. Obviously, it came in at 52.006," Hall said, and traced the change to roughly $3.2–$3.3 million of RHID/TIF-like valuation that county staff said should have been excluded.

Lisa Lusker, Crawford County clerk, who prepared the county's tax rolls and certification forms, said the county's process and the timing of exemptions and late-year valuation adjustments make last-minute corrections difficult. "There's a lot of numbers floating out there. I know the numbers that we have. I know they're correct," Lusker said, and added that the RHID value…