web1_TTL111416dallas.rotary.jpg

Dallas Rotary Club donates to Back Mountain Memorial Library

web1_ihop.jpg

Luzerne County restaurant inspections Nov. 1 to Nov. 3

<p>Three months after issuing bills, Luzerne County has collected $146,877 from property owners who incorrectly received more than one homestead tax break, according to a new report.</p><p>Instead of covering ongoing operating expenses, revenue from the repayments will be placed in a reserve to help reduce the county&#8217;s $9.4 million deficit, county officials have said.</p><p>The August billing evolved from the March 2015 discovery that several past and present officials had received a homestead discount on real estate taxes for multiple properties, even though the law allows the break for one owner-occupied primary residence per property owner.</p><p>Participants saved $45 to $57 on their county real estate taxes annually from 2009 until the county-funded break was halted in 2015.</p><p>The county billed 1,400 property owners a combined $345,344 but stressed the list likely included some breaks that were permissible, citing situations in which different owners shared the same name or second homes were deeded by parents who continue to live in them, known as a &#8220;life tenancy.&#8221;</p><p>To date, the county assessor&#8217;s office withdrew bills for 172 property owners after valid explanations were submitted, according to the county manager&#8217;s November division head report.</p><p>A county council majority had rejected a proposal to collect interest and a 10-percent penalty from the impacted property owners.</p><p>However, a 10-percent penalty will be added if the bills, which are dated Aug. 11, remain unpaid after four months, or Dec. 12.</p><p>The division head report did not specify how many outstanding bills remain.</p><p>Unpaid bills will be treated the same as regular real estate taxes. After Dec. 31, unpaid bills will be turned over to the county tax-claim office, which will impose additional penalties and proceed with a tax sale if the delinquency remains for more than two years.</p><p>The county&#8217;s proposed 2017 budget permanently eliminates the halted homestead break, allowing the county to continue using the $4.7 million for other operating expenses.</p><p>County Manager C. David Pedri has said the county can&#8217;t afford to provide the abatement while it owes $342 million in principal and interest from past borrowing. The county is set to pay around $26 million annually until the final payment drops to $3.9 million in 2029.</p><p>The council had planned to restore the break in 2018.</p><p>Property owners continue to receive gambling-funded school tax breaks based on the homestead applications processed by the county assessor&#8217;s office.</p><p>In response to the controversy, county officials implemented new policies requiring a high-level assessor&#8217;s clerk to review all new homestead requests. The county also asked tax collectors and school district business managers to monitor recipients in their jurisdictions and report potential violations.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_Luzerne_County-logo-use-this-one-4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"></div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_Luzerne_County-logo-use-this-one-4.jpg</photo0><caption0></caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jennifer Learn-Andes</p><p>jandes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Luzerne County collecting payments from incorrect homestead tax break recipients