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<p>HANOVER TWP. &#8212; Another local school district has taken out a short-term loan as a result of the cyber attack on Luzerne County computers that delayed mailing of tax bills. The Hanover Area School Board held a special meeting Thursday to approve a $2.5 million Tax Anticipation Note to be repaid by the end of June next year.</p><p>&#8220;We are not the only district taking out a TAN because of an error we did not make,&#8221; Board Member Vic Kopko said after the vote.</p><p>When the board approved its 2019-20 budget earlier this summer, Board President John Mahle pointed out that the district did not need to take out a TAN, something that had become routine in the past. He cited it as an example of how the district has been getting its fiscal house in order after discovering serious financial problems that led to the departure of the superintendent and business manager at the time.</p><p>But the cyber attack on county computers earlier this year locked the county out of its own property tax assessment database, meaning the county couldn&#8217;t certify assessed values, a first step in mailing property tax bills. The county initially said the problem would be fixed by Aug. 1, but pushed that back to Aug. 19 &#8212; a deadline it met.</p><p>But talk of floating TANs started in several districts simply because the bills were going out at least several weeks late, and the risk grew that there wouldn&#8217;t be enough cash in the bank to pay the higher bills, particularly salaries and contracted work, that come due once summer is over and the schools open.</p><p>Wyoming Valley West School Board held a similar special meeting 9 a.m. Aug. 6 to approve a TAN, the first such borrowing in at least two decades.</p><p>In both cases, business managers for the districts said they hope they will not have to actually use the loan, but wanted it available if necessary.</p><p>The Hanover Area loan comes through Fidelity Bank at a fixed interest rate of 2.375 percent.</p><p>The board also made some hires: Paulette Anselmi as four-hour cleaner at Memorial Elementary, and two security officers at $9 per hour as needed for special occasions: John Sipper and William Slabinski.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Luzerne County cyber attack prompts Hanover Area to borrow short term