Doylestown Township . Photo by James Short.
Doylestown Township Supervisors have started the process of bringing some real estate tax relief to its citizens, especially the older community.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Supervisors Chair Jennifer Herring suggested the board back a resolution to submit to the Bucks County Association of Township Officials asking that the township be able to offer a property tax or rent rebate to its residents.
Pennsylvania has a Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program, supported by lottery and gaming funds, wherein eligible older adults and people with disabilities ages 18 and older who are homeowners or renters can receive rebates ranging from $380 to $1,000.
The rebate is based on income level. For instance, those whose annual income is between nothing and $8,000 would be eligible for a $1,000 maximum rebate, but those with incomes between $18,001 and $45,000 would be eligible for a $380 maximum rebate, per the state’s website.
“It’s a very easy application. You send it to the State and they issue you a check, as long as you qualify,” Herring said. “I’ve been working with a school district that has a program that piggybacks on it, where if you were approved by the state, and you receive a payment, they determine a portion of property tax for the school district to get a rebate.”
Herring said taking part in such a program at the municipal level would be a minimal cost to the township.
“We would determine what each board member would decide – whether we offer 50% of what the state gives in a rebate, or 10%, or we cap it, it’s all very flexible and it can change year to year,” she said. “I want to circle back to say, we looked into this, and apparently, tax rebates are not allowed by our code for a Second Class Township. This is only a program allowable by school districts.”
Herring said the districts “have been carved out from the State legislation regarding taxation relief.”
“What I am looking for from the Board, I would like to create a resolution … asking that we also have a carve out,” she said, “so that we could, as a township, determine to offer a rebate program to our most vulnerable people in the township.”
Supervisor Barbara Lyons was in support of the proposal.
“Sounds like a good idea to me. But have it applied to municipalities as opposed to the school district,” she said.
Herring said, out of every $100 in real estate tax paid in Doylestown Township, $77 goes to Central Bucks School District, $15 goes to Bucks County and $8 goes to the township.
“It’s by millage,” Herring said. “The school district is 77% of the tax bill, the county gets 15% and we only get 8%.”
“So a rebate for these folks in the township is not going to be a whole lot, but it will help,” Lyons said.
Herring said when she looked at the applications, it is people with very, very low income and anything is helpful.
“I want to make sure the Board is comfortable with me working with (solicitor) Michael Clarke,” Herring said.
Clarke said the resolution will be drafted and brought back to the supervisors for approval by early January.
