Latest News from the Borough

The Borough offers grass/brush containers (for grass, brush, garden waste, and small sticks) for $60.00 This fee must be paid before we drop off a container to your property. Because of the overwhelming success of the brush and grass containers and the time it takes our refuse crew to collect these on Wednesdays, as of January 1, 2020, there will be a $10 fee charged each year per can for picking up grass/brush. Please come to the Borough office to pay this charge before the season begins and to get on the grass/brush list. The pick-up day is Wednesdays beginning April 1 and continuing through November 18 (except those Wednesdays of a Borough holiday week which are April 8, May 27, July 1, September 9, and November 11).

A mill equals 1/1000 of the US dollar, or expressed as a decimal = .001 dollars.

So, if the Assessed Value of all taxable real estate in your municipality amounts to $10,876,234, and your real estate millage rate is 5.0, you would calculate the tax levy as follows:

5.0*.001 = .005

.005*$10,876,234 = $54,381.17

Often you hear people ask: What’s a mill worth in your municipality? To calculate what a mill is worth, simply multiply your municipality’s assessed value by .001. In the example above, one mill is worth $10,876.23.

So where do you go to find out the taxable assessed value of all real estate in your municipality? All counties in Pennsylvania keep this information. Near the end of each year, they produce a “book” which lists all of the property owners by parcel along with the assessed value for each. This book is known as the tax duplicate and is used by your tax collector to prepare the annual tax bills for each property. Real estate bills are paid throughout the year and at various rates. There is a discount period at the beginning of the year followed by the flat rate period then the penalty period. If the bill is not paid by the end of the year, the Tax Collector is required to lien the property. During the year, interim assessment sare made as a result of new construction.

With all these discounts, penalties, liens and interim assessments, how do you determine the amount of real estate taxes that will actually be collected?

A simple way to do this is to tract the collection rate over the past few years to determine the average amount collected as a percentage of the original levy (duplicate * tax rate). Then apply this percentage to the current year levy and use the result as the amount budgeted.

Due to the lack of applications, the February 11, 2020, HARB meeting has been canceled. The next HARB meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 25, 2020, in the Council Chambers, 236 W Lamb St, Bellefonte.

Bellefonte was listed in a recent survey as the second best place to live in Pennsylvania for 2020. To see more about this go to https://www.homesnacks.net/these-are-the-10-best-places-to-live-in-pennsylvania-125139/

Below is a listing of Bellefonte Borough “ABC” vacancies. If interested in any of these vacancies, click here to obtain a volunteer application.

Historical and Architectural Review Board (HARB):

The purpose of the HARB is to offer advice and counsel to Bellefonte Borough Council concerning the erection, reconstruction, alteration, restoration, demolition or razing of all or any part of a building or structure located within the boundaries of the Historical and Architectural Review Board District and visible from a public right-of-way. For this purpose, the Historical and Architectural Review Board may make and alter rules and regulations for its own organization and procedure.

The HARB shall be composed of seven members and at least one alternate member, recommended by the HARB, and approved by Council. Of the seven members, one shall be a registered architect, one a licensed real estate broker, one the Borough building official, one a business person whose principal place of business is located within the HARB-regulated historic district, and three additional persons with a knowledge of and interest in historic preservation.

The HARB’s regularly scheduled meetings shall be held on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month unless circumstances warrant a postponement.

For more information, a copy of the HARB’s By-Laws can be found here

There is currently one vacancy on this Board (preferably someone with architectural or historical preservation experience), with the term expiring on 12/31/2023. 

Civil Service Commission

The Civil Service Commission is a three-member Commission with each member serving a six-year term.  The Commission is designed to oversee the hiring and promotional process related to full-time police officers.  Residency is required.  Candidates for these positions must go through a civil service process where written and oral exams are given and scored.  The Commission presents a list of eligible candidates to Council for their consideration.  The Commission must meet the first Monday of the even-numbered new year to re-organize.  Other meeting times are on an as-needed basis.

There is currently one alternate vacancy on this Commission.

Housing Appeals Board

The Bellefonte Borough Housing Appeals Board consists of five members with each member serving a five-year term. It considers appeals regarding the requirements, determinations, and decisions made by the Borough’s inspectors in their enforcement of Chapter 425 of the Property Maintenance and Safety Code ordinance in instances where literal application of the code would result in exceptional practical difficulty.

There is currently a vacancy on the Housing Appeals Board.  The term expires on December 31, 2019. If you are interested, and you are a Borough resident, please fill out a Volunteer Application and return it to the Borough by Thursday, August 1, 2019. Council will review all applications and an appointment will be made at the August 5, 2019, Council meeting.

There are currently two vacancies on this Board; both terms expire 12/31/24.

Zoning Hearing Board

The board shall hear requests for variances where it is alleged that the provisions of the zoning ordinance inflict unnecessary hardship upon the applicant.

For more information regarding the Zoning Hearing Board, please click here.

There is currently one alternate vacancy on this Board, with the term expiring on 12/31/2021.

HomeSnacks recently published its 6th Annual Study on the safest places to live in Pennsylvania, and Bellefonte is #4.

To crunch the numbers, we looked at the JUST released FBI crime data on violent and property crime:

https://www.homesnacks.net/cities/safest-places-in-pennsylvania/

To see some insightful graphics to go along with the report: Infographic Breakdown

Leaf collection will cease on Friday, December 13, 2019, weather permitting. If you need to dispose of leaves after that date, you can come into the Borough office and obtain a key to the compost facility.

Council will vote on this Resolution and approve the Comcast Franchise Agreement at the December 16, 2019, Council meeting.

Harrisburg, June 18, 2019 − State Sen. Judy Schwank (D-Berks) is warning residents of a scam targeting Property Tax or Rent Rebate recipients.

Schwank’s office was notified of a scam that consists of unsolicited calls from a person claiming to work for the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. The caller says an application for Property Tax or Rent Rebate has been approved and then asks if the recipient would like the rebate directly deposited into a bank account – and asks for his or her bank information.

This is a scam. The Department of Revenue does not make live calls regarding Property Tax or Rent Rebate applications and does not collect applicant banking deposit information over the phone.

The Department of Revenue does contact applicants via automated calls to confirm their information has been received and approved. If the department needs more information about an individual’s Property Tax or Rent Rebate application, it sends a letter through the U.S. Postal Service.

Individuals can request that their rebate be directly deposited; those requests, however, must be made when the signed application is submitted to the Department of Revenue.

If you receive a phone call from an individual claiming to represent the Department of Revenue and is requesting personal bank account information, DO NOT give out any banking information or any personal information (including Social Security numbers) to these callers.

If you received one of these calls and provided your banking information or other personal information, immediately call your bank to make them aware of this potential fraud. Additionally, you can file a scam complaint with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General Bureau of Consumer Protection by calling the toll-free hotline at 1-800-441-2555 or by visiting www.attorneygeneral.gov.

Please be aware that the brush and grass can collection season is coming to an end. Due to the Veterans’ Day holiday next week on November 11, there will be no brush and grass can collection. The last Wednesday this season for brush and grass can collection is November 20.

Also, the last Saturday this season that the compost facility on Musser Lane will be open in the morning is November 23. You can still, however, obtain a key from the Borough office Monday through Friday for a $10 deposit. This is available year-round.

If you have any questions, please contact the Borough office at 355-1501.