Tarentum forgives $83K in delinquent property taxes

With a vote Thursday, Tarentum Council wiped its books clean of property taxes that had not been paid for more than 14 years and likely never would be paid.

Others who owe but have not gotten on payment plans will find their names posted to the borough’s website Friday, borough Manager Michael Nestico said.

Council approved forgiving nearly $83,000 in property taxes owed from 52 properties from 1978 to 1992. The action cleans the borough’s books up to 1992, Nestico said.

That was up from the $60,000 to $70,000 borough officials were anticipating to forgive earlier in the week. The total went up because another 20 properties were added.

The amounts ranged from as little as 61 cents up to just over $12,000.

The taxes were deemed uncollectable for several reasons, including the owners being deceased or the properties being unusable. Some had large amounts owed simply because they had been allowed to accumulate for so many years.

Some are next to homes, the owners of which could acquire the parcels to add to their own yard and, through which, the unpaid property taxes would be forgiven anyway, Nestico said.

Except for three of the 52 parcels that were found to not exist, taxes will begin accumulating on them again, something Nestico said can’t be avoided.

Council decided in February to publicize the names of those with unpaid borough property taxes in hopes of getting them to pay or start making payments, which would get their names removed from the list.

It was originally expected to have been posted May 1. The posting was delayed while council considered exonerating accounts.

More than 100 have taken action to get off the list — 90 paid their debt in full, while another dozen are on payment plans, according to the borough.