Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Tax Installments topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee backs changing property tax installment plan to five payments and raises late penalty to 10%
Summary
The finance committee approved a resolution to reduce real estate tax installment payments from six to five and to raise the late-payment penalty to 10% for November/December late payers, citing lien‑filing timing concerns and administrative workload.
The North Penn School District finance committee approved a resolution to change the district’s real estate tax installment plan from six payments to five and to increase the late-payment penalty for November and December from 7.5% to 10%.
Miss Houser, the district’s CFO, presented the measure, saying the primary reason for the change is administrative: because lien lists must be submitted to the county within 15 days after year‑end, payments that arrive or bounce on Dec. 31 leave insufficient time for staff to confirm collections and remove properties from lien lists. "I'm requesting that we go from 6 installment payments to 5, each 1 being 1 fifth," she said, explaining the new schedule would end in November to allow December for processing.
Under the proposed resolution, taxpayers who elect the installment plan will make five equal payments (one-fifth each) and would not be eligible for the district’s 2% early-payment discount. Miss Houser outlined the proposed payment dates and said installer payments would be $7.31, $8.31, $9.30, $10.31 and $11.30 (presented as examples tied to bill formatting), and that the penalty for late payers in November and December would increase to 10%.
Committee members asked about the frequency of last‑day payments and appeals for lost mailed checks. Miss Houser said the situation was "not a lot" of cases but created a heavy workload and potential for errors; she described documentation staff would consider for late‑payment appeals (certified mail receipts, postmarks, bank clearing records) and noted there is no formal appeals process documented but staff reviews evidence on a case-by-case basis.
Board members voiced concerns about increased penalties for taxpayers who can show mailing or bank errors and asked staff to publicize the change and the documentation taxpayers can provide. Miss Houser said the district will include the change on bills and post explanations on the tax section of the district website.
Outcome: the committee approved the resolution by voice vote and directed staff to update bill coupons, post the policy change and provide public notice when the proposed final budget and accompanying documentation are posted for public review.
