Up, Up and Away
POTTSTOWN, PA – Today’s print and online editions of The Mercury contain a three-week old news story on a presentation made during the Pottstown School Board meeting of March 18.
The presentation, made by former school board member Robert Morgan, discussed Pennsylvania’s upcoming pension crisis and how it will affect the good taxpayers of Pottstown.
And, as many of our readers already fully understand, it ain’t a pretty picture. Which is why we’re thankful that School Board President Rick Huss put his foot down on the recent ridiculous spending proposals that were being rammed down the throat of the taxpayers.
If you haven’t already, you can read the Mercury article here:
Pension crisis could hike Pottstown taxes $1,500
Back in November, the Commonwealth Foundation issued a detailed report the projected tax increases for individual Pennsylvania school districts. You can check out that report here:
Pennsylvania Pension Increases
If you’re new to this whole mess…here are a few good articles that will get you up to speed on the situation:
Special Report: Pennsylvania’s Pension Crisis
Special Report: Pennsylvania’s Pension Crisis II
Pension disaster facing state government
Pennsylvania Pensions and Taxes
Just for once, wouldn’t you just love to have a government entity tell you that your taxes will go down? We think we’ll need to charter a hot air balloon to air lift us out of Pennsylvania. Up, up and away!!
NOTE: After we published this post, Code Blue provided us a copy of the unpaid real estate taxes in Pottstown report (as of December 31, 2009) from Portnoff Law Associates. You can view the report here:
This is why Code Blue fought the stimulus money spending plan…I don’t think that some of the SB even realized how bad things were going to be until we opened their eyes to the situation.
Having defeated the spending proposal, we need to now have the SB focus on another dirty little secret. There is AT LEAST $1.3 million in unpaid property taxes for the years 2004-2008. The current SB policy is to lien the property for the unpaid amount plus interest and penalty. I don’t even know the unpaid amount for 2009, and I submitted a RTK request for the years prior to 2004 (have not received that info yet). I gave heard from previous SB members that the policy is not to sheriff sale the properties for compassion reasons. Where is the compassion towards the taxpayer who pays their taxes on time? Who has to pay for the deadbeats? A lot of the deadbeats are serial offenders, people who have not paid their taxes forever. $1.3 million looks pretty appealing right about now. I wonder how many more people would not pay if they knew that the policy was not to sheriff sale the properties? We intend to find out, since we are going to raise a stink about it at the 4/9 SB meeting. Jeff Leflar, Code Blue.Power to the Pottstown people!!
EXACTLY!
You are so right, 1.3 million would come in handy about now.
Enough is enough with this madness – not only are these serial deadbeats having their way with us, the taxpaying citizens of this town, they are stealing from our children’s education.
Come out tonight (4/8) – Pottstown Middle School, 7:30 pm and tell the Pottstown School Board how you feel about covering the cost for all of these deadbeats that chronically abuse our town and its rules.
Power to the Taxpaying People!
(who are sick of getting stuck with the tab)
Amy Francis
Code Blue
I also must personally apologize to the Pottstown taxpayers for not being more on top of this particular issue when I was a school board member.
Join Code Blue to put a stop to the free-ride for these deadbeats!
Power to the Pottstown People!
Amy Francis
Code Blue