Bucks County Tax Claim Bureau explains lien process to Pennsbury board, offers payment plans

Kristen Nielsen, director of the Bucks County Tax Claim Bureau, told the Pennsbury School Board on Jan. 22 that her office views tax sale under the county’s real estate tax law as a last resort and emphasizes payment plans and outreach to help homeowners stay in their homes.

Nielsen, joined by deputy director Joseph Arello and County Treasurer Mark Moffa, described the bureau’s role collecting past-due county, municipal and school taxes and distributing revenue to tax authorities. She said the office is “heavily regulated” and works to minimize costs for taxpayers while following Retzel (the real estate tax sale law).

The bureau presented countywide collection figures for delinquency years, saying collection rates for the most recent full year reached about 77% for liens received in 2024 after collection efforts through December. Nielsen contrasted the bureau’s limited, cost-based initial intake charge — which she said was about $59.16 for a 2024 lien in their office — with examples from third-party collectors where initial intake fees can be substantially higher.

Deputy director Joseph Arello answered detailed questions about fees, penalties and timelines. He said statutory penalties imposed by local collectors are typically 10% and that the state constitutional interest limit results in 9% simple interest on delinquent balances. Arello provided an example that parcels taken through the full sale process typically see added fees on the order of roughly $275–$300, which include costs such as sheriff service, advertising and administrative expenses.

Board members pressed for additional breakdowns. One director asked when the bureau could include an omitted municipality (referred to as “Teletown” in the presentation) in the slide set; Nielsen said updated figures could be delivered in early February. The bureau said its current software does not automatically separate commercial from residential parcels and that such a demographic breakdown would require manual effort.

Nielsen and Arello emphasized available remedies for struggling owners: payment plans, referrals to nonprofit financial counseling, direct outreach calls and formal payment agreements. They said that when owners make consistent cooperative payments, the bureau typically works with them and avoids proceeding to tax sale.

The presenters also noted limits on their authority. Arello said the bureau cannot waive statutory penalties or state-set interest rates; only taxing authorities (county, municipality, school district) can approve waivers of penalties and interest.

The board thanked the presenters for the overview and asked for follow-up material (including updated municipality-level figures and the example comparison slide) to be provided to the district and the public.

What’s next: The bureau offered to share updated delinquency figures for the omitted municipality and additional supporting slides in early February.