Update: Week of May 4, 2009

GENERAL INFORMATION

Court: Allegheny must reassess

Allegheny County must conduct a property-tax reassessment for next year, the state Supreme Court said yesterday, though it stopped short of ruling that a county statute setting 2002 values as the baseline for taxation was illegal. Because the court didn't rule the county's "base year" assessment system illegal, other counties using the same system won't necessarily have to stop doing so across the board. The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania had filed a friend-of-the-court brief before the county argued its appeal in September, fearing that if the court struck down the county's statute, all 67 counties in the state would have to reassess property values annually. Click here to read the full article.

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 4/30/09





BUCKS COUNTY



Pennridge residents to pay more in taxes

Pennridge School Board members approved a $109.8 million preliminary budget this week, but hope to cut spending further before passing the final budget in June. As it stands, the budget would increase the millage rate by 3.5 percent – to 120.68 mills. Taxes for a home assessed at the district’s average of $29,200 would increase by about $119 to $3,524. The board will discuss the budget at its next meeting on May 26 before voting on it on June 1.

Source: The Intelligencer; 4/28/09



New Hope-Solebury officials lower tax increase for 2009-2010 budget

The 2009-2010 preliminary budget was approved this week at $33.3 million and is expected to be adopted at the board’s meeting on June 1. Residents of New Hope-Solebury School District will likely see a tax increase of 4.24 percent after district officials reported a lower-than-anticipated jump in health insurance rates for the district. The district still faces a 9.2 percent increase in Blue Cross rates, however, it is lower than the initially estimated 16.2 percent increase. With the 4.24 percent tax increase, homeowners assessed at the district average of $56,829 will see their tax bill increase from $4,359 to $4,543.

Source: The Intelligencer; 4/29/09



Middletown hopes to save with bond refinancing

Middletown Township will save upwards of $165,000 this year if a proposed refinancing of $7.75 million from a 2004 bond is approved. With the refinance, the average interest rate would decrease to 3.28 percent form 4 percent. Township officials hope to save an additional $10,000 to $15,000 by switching the township’s credit rating agency from Moody’s to Standard and Poor.

Source: The Intelligencer; 4/29/09







CHESTER COUNTY



West Chester approves 87 townhomes for Davis Lumber site

West Chester Borough Council granted Davis Realty Holdings final approval to build 87 townhomes on the 3.85-acre Davis Lumber site at Franklin and Barnard streets. The Davis Lumber site is in an industrial sector of the borough and is near the former site of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, which is also considered a prime candidate for residential redevelopment. Hunter Davis, who owns the lumberyard, declined to say when construction would begin. Davis first submitted development plans for the site last summer. The first draft of the plan showed 98 townhomes, but due in part to stormwater issues, the number of residences has been reduced. Davis ' site is one of the few remaining lots in the borough suited to a large-scale housing development. McCool Properties recently received preliminary approval to build 58 townhomes on another such parcel, the former Bishop Shanahan High School site at West Gay and Brandywine streets. Some borough officials have criticized Davis ' proposal, saying it is too dense and could create traffic problems in surrounding neighborhoods. However, the proposal conforms to borough zoning, leaving Borough Council members little power to negotiate the number of planned homes.

Source: Daily Local; 4/27/09



Oxford Area budget hikes property tax by 3 percent

The Oxford Area School Board has approved a preliminary budget with a 3 percent increase in real estate taxes. The property tax rate will rise from this year’s 28.6865 mills to 29.5479 mills. The final version of the budget is set for adoption at a May 18 board meeting.

Source: Daily Local; 4/27/09



Avon Grove to tap fund balance

Saving money in good times has left Avon Grove school officials in a position to avoid raising taxes. Even though the proposed 2009-10 budget is 3/6 percent larger than the current year’s spending plan, the preliminary budget shows no increase in real estate taxes. The budget is available for public review here.

Source: Daily Local; 4/26/09



Chester County Commissioners' meetings headed for Web

Sometime this month, the four-times-monthly meetings of the commissioners will make their way to the county's Internet site on video. For the first time in history, people will be able to see the commissioners vote on grants, adopt resolutions, approve contracts and discuss their short- and long-term goals on the Web.

The videos will likely not be available at www.chesco.org until the end of May.

Source: Daily Local; 5/1/09



West Goshen residents fret road-widening project

West Goshen Township's plans to widen a section of Boot Road near the Route 202 interchange to deal with heavy traffic from QVC and other business parks has drawn the ire of local residents. The area to be widened is Boot Road between Greenhill Road and Wilson Drive . Township Manager Casey LaLonde said the project, which is a joint endeavor of West Goshen and East Goshen , is just in a preliminary stage. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has not approved it yet.

Source: Daily Local; 5/1/09



Developers propose shopping center for The Flats in Coatesville

Without a slide show, architectural renditions or any other frills, developers hoping to put a grocery store and other retail shops on what is currently a contaminated, desolate site made their pitch to City Council on Monday night. City Council did not take any action on the proposal, which the city's Redevelopment Authority approved last week. But council is expected to support or reject the plan at its May 11 meeting.

Mosaic developers said they hope to construct a roughly 82,000-square-foot shopping center with a grocery store as an anchor. It will occupy the southern half what is known locally as The Flats — 26 acres north of West Lincoln Highway and west of Route 82 along the east bank of the Brandywine Creek. It's still unclear what will be done with the northern portion of the site. Previously, Iacobucci Homes was in the mix with the intention of building row homes and condominiums on the site. But the company has since pulled out of the project. Last week, Chetty Builders and The Shelter Group presented their hopes for the site to the authority.

Chetty Builders' plan includes building about 90 townhouses. The Shelter Group told the authority it would like to build about 75 apartments for senior citizens at The Flats. The authority has made no decisions on either company's proposals.

Source: Daily Local; 4/30/09







DELAWARE COUNTY



Radnor Township revenues continue to cause concern

Real estate transfer tax and license and permit revenues were down for the first quarter of the year in Radnor Township . If the first three months are any indicator, actual revenues could fall bellow the $2 million amount budgeted. The realty transfer-tax revenue, earned whenever a property is sold, was down 45 percent for the first quarter. However, April 2009 was higher than April 2008 by about 20 percent.

Source: Main Line Suburban Life; 4/24/09



Rose Tree Media approves budget

Rose Tree Media School Board on Thursday adopted a proposed 2009-2010 budget of $78.46 million that requires a 2.5 percent tax millage increase to balance. Raising the tax rate to 21.6251 mils amounts to an annual increase of $125 in school taxes, based on an average property assessment of $236,106. Taxpayers who applied for and are eligible to receive a Homestead/Farmstead exception — predicted to be about $200 to offset property taxes — may get a slight reduction in their next school tax bill. The final budget is subject to change before it is adopted by the board at its May 28meeting; however, at the present time, the administration is committed to having no greater than a 2.5 percent tax millage increase for the coming year, while maintaining a program that will not cut items that directly impact learning.

Source: Daily Times; 04/26/09









MONTGOMERY COUNTY



Norristown Area School District reduces proposed tax increase

Citing budget cuts, a spending freeze, along with the elimination through attrition of eight employee positions and add in federal stimulus money for tax reductions, the Norristown Area School District was able to reduce the proposed real estate tax increase for 2009 to 0.491 percent. This reduction of the recently proposed 3.566 percent increase was the result of the administration working harder to review the budget. If passed, this will mean an average increase to the taxpayer of about $38.

Source: The Times Herald; 4/28/09



Limerick Township nixes electronic signs

The Limerick Township Board of Supervisors voted unanimously against an ordinance to allow businesses to display messages with letters and numbers but no pictures or rolling script. Although initially in support of the measure, the supervisors voted down the ordinance as to not open up the township to potential challenge. However, businesses can apply for a variance to the ordinance on a case-by-case basis if they wish to pursue electronic signage.

Source: The Times Herald; 4/28/09



Norristown to send public notice reduction question to voters

Norristown Council recently discussed publishing a synopsis of proposed ordinances in the public notices rather than publishing the entire ordinance. This was brought to light over the recent publication of a proposed sign ordinance in the classifieds which cost Norristown $16,000. The classified advertising is a requirement of public notice laws. Any change to the public notices required placing a ballot question on the general election ballot and making changes to the home rule charter.

Source: The Times Herald; 4/27/09



Hatfield Revitalization Plan nearing completion

The final version of the Hatfield Borough Revitalization Plan will be presented on May 13 at the borough council meeting. Once approved by the council and the county, the Plan will serve as a guide for future redevelopment projects, economic vitality, and commercial revitalization. A complete draft of the plan can be viewed at: www.hatfieldborough.com.

Source: The Intelligencer; 5/01/09