(Continued from Page A 1)
class action suit in the York Coun
ty Court of Common Pleas. And,
tax protest letters are already turn
ing up at municipal tax collectors’
offices around die county.
Joyce Smith, tax collector for
the northern end’s Warrington
Township, had as of last week re
ceived lax protest letters. She was
expecting more.
In the county’s southern comer,
Chanceford Township tax collec
tor Henry Tyson had more.
“I’ve gotten about a dozen,” he
affirmed late last week. “But the
big rush comes the first two weeks
of April, right before the discount
period ends. I expect quite a few.”
Springfield Township, in the
county’s southcentral area, had
not seen any of the protest letters
as of last week, though tax collec
tor Barbara Metzler had gotten in
quiries. She explained that the es
crowed money must be held in a
separate account set up by each
taxing municipality, school dis
trict and the county, with the tax
collectors doing the initial paper
work.
“We must calculate the 25 per
cent protest amount on each tax,
and send a note to die county trea
surer’s office about the protested
bill,” she explained. The tax col
lector’s forwarding payments to
the county treasurer’s office must
V
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609 Tobacco Growcn
If you plan to process your tobacco with Penn Leaf, we need to know by April 3
approximate bales you will be delivering to us.
Agricultural Generators
Automatic
L.P. Gas, Diesel, Natural
Gas Generators
5 to 2,000 KW
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Power Generation Systems Specialists
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York Farmers
be made with two checks, keeping
the 25 percent protest amount to
be escrowed separate from the re
gular tax payment
“It’s extra work, but that’s part
of our job,” Metzler said.
The farmers’ tax revolt boiled
up following the county’s real
estate reassessment last year,
when hundreds of York County
farmers and landowners were
stunned upon receiving their new
lax appraisals. Some values had
tripled under the new assessment,
meaning tax bills would take three
times their prior bite.
In a year in which York County
farmers were smitten with one of
die area’s worst droughts in mem
ory. tax bills as much as tripled
came as a bitter blow.
The fanner’s group has taken
issue with several of the reassess
ment criteria, including lack of re
cognition for greatly varying pro
ductivity levels among the range
of soil types across York County.
And, assessment values arc re
portedly higher than that on simi
lar soils in neighboring counties.
So many taxpayers filed appeals
to the county’s Assessment Board
that the individual hearings, which
were to have been completed by
die end of 1997, stretched into
February of 1998.
The “under protest” mailing
comes on the heels of an earlier
CLIP AND SEND
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Address
Send to:
Penn leaf Tobacco Company
661 Vintage Rd.
Christiana, PA 17509
Service - Rental - New - Used
File Property Tax Lawsuit
one, sent January 29, in which the
committee encouraged Clean and
Green property owners to join in a
class action filing against the York
County Assessment Board. That
letter polled recipients on their tax
assessment problems and willing
ness to testify if necessary. Letter
recipients were further invited to
contribute financial support, based
on their acreage, to help find anti
cipated legal costs. Response, ac
cording to the committee, has
been gratifying.
“We are very, very pleased with
the financial support we’ve seen
from York County’s farmers and
landowners,” says FRYC chair
man Buser.
"We’ve had a great reply to our
first letter. We’ve gotten maybe
over a thousand responses and
probably 70 percent of those peo
ple are willing to testify.” Buser
adds. "There are some real honor
stories, older landowners, often
with medical problems. They have
no idea how they are going to pay
their tax bills.”
Gatchelville fruit grower* Gail
and Paul McPherson have experi
enced first-hand B user’s concerns
over the tax bills’ effect on the
many of county’s older landown
ers. Upon opening her tax reas
sessment last Hall, one elderly, wi
dowed friend of the McPherson's
called them for help, pleading
Signature
Phone #
V p
P.T.O.
Generators
25 to 100 KW
with Paul’s assistance in dealing
with her property’s reappraisal
“Our older landowners have
been good, solid, hard-working
citizens of the community. Many
of them don’t have huge retire
ment funds and they budget every
cent they have carefully. These
kind of tax bills may simply drive
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) - Agriculture Secretary
Samuel E. Hayes Jr. announced
that the department is seeking
producers interested in operat
ing stands at farmers' markets
throughout the Pennsylvania
Turnpike system during the
1998 growing season.
"Launched by Gov. Tom
Ridge, this program demon-
strates the Ridge
Administration's continued com
mitment to finding new markets
for Pennsylvania-grown prod
ucts," said Hayes. "Gov. Ridge
has worked to expand not only
the export market for farmers,
but also the domestic market
through innovative and strate
gic methods.
"Since the Turnpike Farmers;
Markets began three years ago,
the markets have proven to be
very popular with the traveling
public and have provided farm
ers a great new marketing
yL
NO MATTER WHAT THE J 08...
ALWAYS TAKE A SHORTCUT.
>v
MOW RELAXED
AND HAPPY!
CALL FOR
INFORMATION
780 East Main Street • New Holland, PA 17557 • (717) 354-4241
1(800)832-2228 • Fax (717) 355-2466
37 Industrial Blvd. Paoli, PA 19301 • (610) 640-9222 • Fax (610) 993-9115
Marketing Opportunities
On The Turnpike
The Hustler Shortcut has redefined operator
ergonomics. It Improves productivity, is
faster than a hydro walk behind, and is more
maneuverable than front or mid- mount
transmission-steer tractors. Plus! Convert it
to Mulch in a few minutes.
CpcT.ltffl
them out erf their homes,” Gail
McPherson worries.
Affected York County Clean
and Green valued property own
ers, and any other individuals
seeking more information on the
tax protest, may contact FRYC
chairman Bill Buser at (717)
755-3271.
opportunity.
The markets are at the ser
vice plazas at Allentown, Lehigh
County; New Stanton,
Westmoreland County; Sideling
Hill, Fulton County; and Valley
Forge, Chester County.
Although many vendors will be
returning for 1998, there will be
opportunities for additional ven
dors at each of the markets.
Pennsylvania producers who
grow more than 50 percent of
their total sales are eligible to
participate. The vendors may
supplement their own produc
tion with produce that also is
Pennsylvania-grown.
Farmers interested in becom
ing vendors at any of the mar
kets may request an application
by contacting Mike Varner,
Bureau of Market Development,
2301 N. Cameron St.
Harrisburg, PA 17110-9408. The
telephone number is (717) 787-
2376.
IriniAK
RESIDENTIAL
COMMERCIAL
INDUSTRIAL
CALL Mon.-Fri. 8-5