L L¢ ‘Homestead The Dallas Post (continued from page 1) . assessed value in its area. This ” . value in the Lake-Lehman School ~ District is different from the me- “dian in Luzerne County. If both ra dl - ® 0 s means each level of government could reduce assessments by dif- ferent amounts and percentages. For.€xample, the median assessed the county and school district chose to reduce assessments by 50 percent, the dollar amount of the-reduction would be different _ for each. But there's no require- “ment that the percentage be uni- form, so the county could reduce ‘assessments by 25 percent and "the 's¢hool district by 50 percent, * oreach could choose any percent- ‘age below 50. ‘Hére’s how this could work: If “the median assessed value of " homesteads in a school district is $40,000, as much as $20,000 ‘could be deducted from each as- ‘sessment. Thus a home assessed at $60,000 would be taxed on '$40,000, while one assessed at $30,000 would be taxed on “$10,000. ‘When one tax goes down, some- thing else must go up. Here are ‘some that might: "Income Tax: Each government “Unit could impose a different rate of taxation. To do so, each would Teed a majority of voters’ approval in areferendum, according to the ‘Senate bill. But keep in mind any final legislation could drop the referendum requirement. Sales Tax: Only counties would ‘have the option of imposing a Tocal sales, use and occupancy tax of up to 1 percent, but if they did. so would be prevented from collecting an income tax. The only | exception to this restriction could ¥ 1} ' | Library news ~ 1 | NESE YAS Td ELS “The Bricks Are Going Up!” The teonstruction of the new children’s wing at the library is proceeding on schedule. The sheet rock is arriving ‘at the library this week. The bricks are now 30% com- ‘pleted on the new building. The workers are taping and spackling on the new parttitions. The duct work is nearing completion for the heating system. The electric ~work is about 50% complete. A new gas meter is being installed which will take care of heating the ‘entire building, old and new sec- tion. In a few weeks, they will be testing the systems, heat, air, -water lines and hooking new gas lines to roof top units. The win- occur if a majority of the school districts and municipalities in a county asked the county to adopt both a county income tax and sales tax. A county's tax receipts would be shared with munici- palities and school dis- tricts this way; 50 per- cent to the county, 25 percent each to mu- nicipalities and school districts. The primary tax shift would likely be to local income taxes. Each level of government could impose an income tax, or all of them could. Under the Senate proposal, counties could set arate of 0.25 percent or 0.5 percent; municipalities could set a rate up to 1 percent in 0.25 percent incre- ments, and school districts could collect up to 2 percent in 0.25 percent increments. Most Back Mountain townships and boroughs now collect a 1 percent earned income tax, ex- cept Kingston Township, which collects 1 1/2 percent. Those rev- enues are now split 50/50 with the school district. If school dis- tricts gain authority to levy their own income tax, municipalities would no longer have to share revenues, so in theory a total of 3 percent of income could be taxed locally, as opposed to the present lor l 1/2 percent. The income tax could be calcu- lated in one of two ways: Earned Income Tax: This is a tax on wages, tips, bonuses etc., as towns and school districts now use. Personal Income Tax: This tax would include earned income plus interest, dividends and other “un- The Homestead Exemption earned” income. This is exactly what the state income tax now covers and it is expected that this calculation would be used by lo- cal governments as well. Persons age 65 and over may be exempt from taxes on the first $6,250 of income. Social Security and pension income are entirely excluded from taxation. So, would this be good or bad for taxpayers? “I guess it depends on who you are and where you are,” offers Bair of the PEL. Rent- ers and people with high incomes would probably pay more overall. Home owners with modest in- comes would probably pay less. State Rep. Phyllis Mundy is enthusiastic about the prospects. In a message to her constituents, Mundy said, “The homestead ex- emption is progressive— it helps homeowners who are struggling to get by more than it helps homeowners who are better off.” She urged voters to approve the resolution because she believes it will lead to property tax relief. But the mere passage of the resolution does nothing in itself. It simply allows the Legislature to draft a plan, if senators and rep- resentatives decide to do so, and if they can agree on it. And that is unlikely to happen easily or quickly. Senate Bill No. 2 is a complex document that proposes specific regulations for counties, cities, municipalities and school dis- tricts. Even within these units, rules vary depending on the “class” and form of government. For ex- New children's cookbooks now for sale at library dows in the new sections should be installed in two or three weeks. This is the latest update from Paul Rodda, the architect on loca- tion. The holidays are coming! The library has the new children’s cookbook which sells for $9.50; the regular cookbook, Chefs and Artists selling for $12.95 and the Entertainment Book which is available for $25.00. These would make nice stocking stuffers for particular people on your gift list. New audio tapes at the library: “A Dry Spell” by Susie Maloney is of a town of wide-open prairies and endless skies. Goodlands, North Dakota, seemed the perfect place to farm and raise a family— until four years without rain brought the town to its knees. Now, darkness has descended on Goodlands. “Violin” by Anne Rice moves across time and the continents, from 19th century Vienna to a St. Charles Greek Revival mansion in present-day New Orleans to the dazzling capitals of the moaern- day world, telling a story of two charismatic figures bound by a passionate commitment to music of rapture and seduction. New books: “A Shark Out Of Water” by Emma Lathen proves that a likable banker is in his native U.S.A. and just as at home in the rather exotic milieu of Gdansk, Poland, as on Wall Street. He is in the midst of two extraor- dinary events. “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom is sub-titled, an old man, ayoung man, and life’s great- estlesson. Maybe it was a grand- parent, or a teacher or a colleague. Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and searching, helped you see the world as a more pro- found place. Dear Friends: Dy My thanks and best wishes to you all. SENATOR CHARLES D. LEMMOND, JR. October, 1997 ~~. On November 4th, voters will have an opportunity to elect a first rate candidate from Northeast Pennsylvania to our Superior Court, a man I am supporting with enthusiasm and without hesitation. Judge Correale Stevens is an outstanding jurist on Luzerne County's "Court of Common Pleas. He served for four terms a member of the Penn- sylvania House of Representatives and was a strong and effective Luzerne .. County District Attorney. Judge Stevens is the only Superior Court candidate from Northeastern Pennsylvania. He understands our concerns in a way that others from the eo big cities of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh never can. As things stand now, there is NO representation from Northeastern Pennsylvania on the Su- preme, Superior or Commonwealth Courts. The Superior Court of Pennsylvania is an essential element of our ' “Commonwealth's judicial system, having been created by the General As- |. sembly in 1895 to ease the burden of the Supreme Court, and it handles 1 most of the criminal and civil appeals from all county courts. To be truly effective, the Superior Court should be comprised of individuals who repre- . sent the geographical richness and diversity of our fine State. These jurists should be , by experience and temperament, prepared for a job that is de- manding and rigorous. Judge Stevens is the right man for this job. He is our friend and our “neighbor, and I believe he deserves our support. I encourage you to vote for |. him when you go to the polls on November 4th. We can make a difference! CHARLES D. LEMMOND, JR. : Paid for by Friends of Senator Lemmond STATE SENATOR ample, “home rule” municipali- ties such as Kingston Township, are not required to hold a referen- dum to participate, to raise taxes or to withdraw from the program. Other towns and both Dallas and Lake-Lehman school districts would need to have a majority of voters approve participation or withdrawal, and for an increase in property tax rates. Changes in income tax rates would not re- quire voter approval. But none of this is real at this point, nor will it be after Nov. 4, because voters won't be passing judgement on this bill, they'll sim- ply be allowing the Legislature to consider it or something like it. This isn’t the only way to lower property taxes. The state has the power to mandate lower property taxes and raise the income tax rates municipalities and school districts are allowed to collect. But most observers think home owners would end up paying more, since corporate tax rates, which are already among the highest in the nation, wouldn't be raised, leaving income and sales taxes to make up for the shortfall in prop- erty tax collections. Many states are reforming lo- cal taxes, some under court order because of inequities in school funding, Bair, or the Pennsylva- nia Economy League, said. But in most of those cases, the states are taking a more direct role, collect- ing taxes statewide and then par- celing the proceeds out to school districts based on need. In con- trast, the proposed Senate bill could create thousands of sepa- rate tax programs. “This is the other side of flexibility,” Bair said. Dallas, PA Wednesday, October 29, 1997 * 5 Satan (continued from page 1) tan guy’ and not the ‘St. John’ guy,” he asked grinning. He said he has studied texts on demons and exorcisms. Davies has been with Miseri- cordia for 18 years. A native of Pittsburgh, he began his aca- demic career at Duke Univer- sity where he majored in Reli- gion. He then received his doc- torate in Early Christianity from Temple University. Davies now lives in Dallas with his wife and two children. He teaches World Religion, Biblical Studies, Religion in America and the honors pro- gram at Misericordia. The film crew arrived Sep- tember 4, and turned a room that was under construction at the college into a prime set. With the help of colored light- ing and a cross cut-out, the stage was set to discuss Satan. Davies said he was im- pressed by the quick pace of the process. “They went from nowhere to having a film crew here in two weeks,” he said. The producer sent him a list of 25 specific questions before the interview to give him an idea of The Post Werea what they were interested in. | “We spoke on the phone and discussed what she should ask,” said Davies. When the day of the inter- | view arrived Davies found they were only interested in stories about Satan found in the New Testament. “There are only a couple of stories in the New Testament,” he said. One such story is Satan tempting Jesus by possessing Judas. The producer was on a speaker phone during the in- terview to interject and keep the focus directed to stories of | the dark angel. “She asked if I could get my answers into one sentence,” he said. “They just wanted a soundbite.” An airdate has not yet been. set. is online! Now you can send letters and other material by e-mail, to dalpost@ aol.com But please call first. We want to avoid receiving unusable material. So, call us the old-fashioned way ~~ at 675-5211 and tell us what you want to send by e-mail. Thanks. Villa Rema Pizza & Pasta House ANNUAL BIG HALLOWEEN PARTY Free pizza, Free soda Elle al(-1-Ner:1p1e)% Jol [TERe [-N Hl (-1-Re [1:14 (= Hosted by Jeanie & Lilly Thursday, October 30, 1997 XZ Mike's Grandchild IAN SAYS, "LET'S GET THIS COUNTY COURTHOUSE RIGHT-SIDE UP” VOTE FOR CLARENCE "MIKE" MICHAEL FOR LUZERNE COUNTY CONTROLLER J * A VOICE NOT AN ECHO Paid for by Committee to Elect Clarence Michael | LIKE MIKE
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers