Latrobe residents who owe earned income tax to the city and property owners who can establish a financial hardship in meeting a new stormwater management bill will have more time to pay this year.
City council on Monday moved back the deadline for paying the 2020 earned income tax, without a penalty, from April 15 to May 17. The later deadline matches that recently approved for filing federal and state income tax returns, as U.S. and Pennsylvania officials responded to the added challenges taxpayers are facing during the covid-19 pandemic.
“I think it would be beneficial to all our citizens if we could just extend it 32 more days,” councilman Jim Kelley said of the local tax deadline. “Then, we’ll be consistent with the filing with the U.S. Treasury and the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue.”
With the economic impact of the pandemic in mind, council also authorized city Manager Mike Gray to establish a procedure for granting extended payment plans to property owners who are finding it a strain to meet the March 31 deadline for paying the city’s first annual stormwater management fee. The fee of $90 per equivalent residential unit is meant to help cover the city’s costs for complying with a state mandate to reduce sediment carried by runoff into Loyalhanna Creek.
Gray said he’ll consider plans extending payments, possibly through the remainder of the year, after weighing hardships on a case-by-case basis.
“I’m very glad council decided to do this,” he said. “We’ve heard from numerous elderly individuals on fixed incomes,” expressing concern about the new stormwater fee.
Homeowners who are on a fixed income or have been furloughed as a result of the pandemic are among those who may be considered hardship cases, Gray said, while noting the city doesn’t intend to offer discounts on the fee.
Owners of commercial properties who face a stormwater fee totaling more than $1,000 also may be considered for extended payments.
Those who want to claim a hardship and request a payment plan should contact the city stormwater management office at 724-539-8548, ext. 28.
