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<b>First Posted:</b> 12/17/2008<br><br>IAN CAMPBELL Times Leader Correspondent
PITTSTON TWP. &amp;ndash; Supervisors voted Monday to appoint the Don Wilkinson Agency as Act 511 tax collector for the township, starting Jan. 1.

The move brings the township&amp;rsquo;s earned income, local services, mercantile and other non-property taxes under the umbrella of the same company that the Pittston Area School Board appointed to collect the school tax. That should mean that residents will have fewer forms to fill out in future tax seasons, the supervisors noted.
The township had raised concerns about aspects of previous collections carried out by H A Berkheimer, and although the final negotiations resulted in fees that were about equal, the board felt that it was time to give another company an opportunity for the work.
The contract will be awarded initially for one year, with the option of a two-year extension if the first year is satisfactory.
Supervisors noted a final reading of the revised budget, with a $3,000 increase in the allocation to the township ambulance, will be made Dec. 29. They also noted a payment had been made to the Lower Lackawanna Valley Sanitary Authority and the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority to create a $40 credit on residents&amp;rsquo; first-quarter 2009 sewer bills.
LLVSA had implemented an increase, and the move was made to help residents offset that rate rise. It was also applied to WVSA customers in the interest of fairness, Supervisor Tony Attardo said.
The budget is on display at the borough building until the Dec. 29 meeting.
The township also noted a request from JMG Construction to take over an additional road in Horizon Estates was turned down until  engineering issues with the road were resolved.
The company could request the engineer re-examine the road after the changes were made, but in its current condition, it was not suitable for a takeover, solicitor John Finnerty said on behalf of the engineers.

Pittston Twp. changes tax firms