Aug 12, 2022 2 min read

This is in response to Oren Spiegler’s Aug. 3 letter on property tax reform. School property taxes are out of control, but school districts still seem to deem it necessary to raise taxes when people cannot afford any more increases. There are people out there, especially seniors, who are losing their homes or moving out of state because they cannot afford to pay this tax, but taxes keep going up.

I have been researching what service I am supposed to be receiving for my school taxes since I no longer have a child in school but, as of yet, I have not found an answer, and no one can give me an answer. I was given two links on the legislative website to hunt for my answer, Chapters 85 and 88 of Title 53. As of yet, I am still reading. I decided to do a search of my own on this website and found HB 1160, The Residential Property Tax Elimination Act, which was introduced by Sen. Keith Gillespie on April 14, 2021. He states that in the near future he is planning on reintroducing this act, but I couldn’t find anything more recent, so I called his office. I was told that Gillespie will not be reintroducing this act because he is retiring at the end of November. He is hoping for his successor or another senator to take over where he left off.

I emailed Sen. Camera Bartolotta’s staff to report what I found. I was told that the senator is a strong supporter of property tax reform and I had asked that he relay to her that I would like her to take over HB 1160 for Sen. Gillespie. All property owners receive a service from their county and township property taxes but, for those of us who receive no service from our school, our property should not be subject to a lien, sheriff’s sale or even taxed for which we receive no service.

It is time to make this wrong right. 

Cheryl Bertolino

McDonald