Latest News from the Borough

Below is the link to the Council Meeting on April 19, 2021 where Chief Weaver, Bellefonte Police Department, presented Pedestrian and Crash Data within the Borough and specifically within the “Diamond”. 

https://videoplayer.telvue.com/player/GNduNoua2rBThhw6N4PRP9OCSPf6B2ru/media/635643/chapter/129405?fullscreen=false&showtabssearch=true&autostart=false

In recent weeks, Bellefonte Borough emergency services have experienced difficulty locating street addresses due to no or improperly positioned house numbers.

A Borough ordinance requires all buildings to have address numbers placed in a position that is plainly legible and visible from the street or road fronting the property.  It is best to have the numbers positioned near the front door.  Numbers should contrast with the background for easy visibility day and night.  They should be Arabic numerals, a minimum of 4 inches high with a minimum stroke width of 0.5 inch.

If you have any questions call Harry Brooks @ 814-355-1501, ext 225.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 included funding for states to establish emergency rental assistance programs. Pennsylvania received approximately $569 million to administer assistance to renters, landlords, and utility providers who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and economic insecurity.

On February 5, 2021, Governor Wolf signed S.B. 109 into law, which officially designated the Department of Human Services (DHS) as the agency overseeing administration of the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) for the 49 counties that did not receive direct allocations.

ERAP is now taking applications. Pennsylvanians can apply online through COMPASS. Some counties are not using the COMPASS application. If your county is not using COMPASS, you will be automatically directed to your local ERAP agency contact.

More information on the ERAP can be found on the County website. 

Beginning two years ago, the Borough embarked on a 3-Phase project to upgrade our parking in Bellefonte.  The 1st phase was to provide structural upgrades to the Municipal Lots North, South and West. This phase cost the Borough approximately $500,000.00 and included the installation of 6 KIOSKs which replaced 120 single-spaced parking meters. The removal of the meters allows the Borough Streets staff to plow the lots and get them cleared in 1/2 the time.  There is still some work that will be done in 2022 to the South Lot before this phase is finalized.   The 2nd Phase was to replace the “old” street meters with new street meters.  This had to be completed because parts were no longer available for the older meters and in addition, more people wanted options to pay for parking through credit/debit cards or their smart-phone. We will have the touchless-pay-by-phone option completed by early fall.  Finally, phase 3 was to look at our “red” single space metered Long-Term Parking. Due to the cost of the new single space meters, it was cost prohibitive to try and replace those so instead we decided to create a Long-Term Parking area for Residents and Commuters.  No longer do people have to constantly “feed” the meters. It simply requires a one-time registration on our website where people can either set it up as a recurring expense or they have the option to do it monthly.  The Long-Term Parking spaces are designated with red paint and are designed for the downtown workforce to provide a cheaper parking area with the impact of freeing up the downtown spaces for business patrons. These areas also provide one-hour of free parking to anyone.

 

The idea behind everything that has been done to date is to ensure we are doing all we can to make parking easier, more flexible and providing maximum accessibility for patrons wanting to access downtown businesses.  We recognize there are challenges and many of those relate to the changes we have made. We will continue to listen to ideas and also monitor and evaluate Borough parking as a whole.  We do appreciate our residents’ understanding and patience as we continue to finish our efforts related to parking.  Should anyone have questions related to parking, please feel free to contact the Borough at 355-1501 extension 210.

Bellefonte Borough would like to remind Borough Residents to not blow their grass clippings into the roadways. Those clippings can clog stormwater systems and can also create a safety hazard for bicyclists and vehicles by making it harder for them to steer or brake.

Bellefonte Borough had a Strategic Management Plan (STMP) by Delta Development Group.

To view the STMP click Here

In an effort to provide more reliable and effective communications with residents, Bellefonte Borough has implemented Swiftreach Networks, Inc. as our emergency notification provider.

Swift911 is a system designed to make phone calls to specific people or areas in the event of an emergency or for sharing important information. Bellefonte Borough will use this system to notify residents by phone of information regarding you or your property. The system can make thousands of calls in a minute to convey vital information. These messages may include information on floods, fires, water emergencies, road closures, missing persons, evacuation orders, and weather emergencies.

The Swiftreach Network Data has been provided by a third party data provider and only includes listed phone numbers in Bellefonte Borough. It is important for residents and business owners to provide contact information such as unlisted, unpublished or cell phone numbers. Accurate numbers in the database help to ensure emergency information will be passed on to everyone in a timely manner.

If you would like to provide an alternate number other than your home number, you may do so. The alternate phone number would be called if your primary phone number is not answered by a person or answering machine.

All calls you receive will have the caller ID of “Bellefonte Borough.” Your information will not be provided to any outside agencies or companies.

If you do not have access to a computer, you may call 814-355-1501 Ext. 210 to provide information. To sign up please visit https://bellefonte.net/residents/emergency-notification-info-request/

The Bellefonte Borough Climate Action Plan was approved on September 22, 2020. 

Bellefonte CAP Final

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

As President of Borough Council, I am speaking to our residents, neighbors, and visitors on behalf of Bellefonte Borough Council members and Bellefonte Borough Management.

On January 6, as a nation, we all witnessed with disbelief when, what should have been a peaceful protest, turned into an unlawful riot, resulting in destruction, unlawful entry, injury, and death. Our hearts go out to the families who lost loved ones and the families who had loved ones injured. Our prayers go out to every citizen of the United States to reunite. If there must be protests, they must be peaceful.

Unlawful actions that we saw last week should not be occurring in the United States of America and have no place in Bellefonte Borough. Remember that both spoken and written words affect the actions of others as they can inspire or incite. Vandalism occurred in Bellefonte in the wake of the Capitol riot. It was heart-lifting to see our community members come together to repaint a vandalized Pride Flag mural in downtown Bellefonte. We thank you for your display of respect and sense of community.

We now hear of possible protests being planned throughout the country during the inauguration of Joe Biden as our 46^th President. While we support a citizen’s right to protest peacefully, we do not support events that cause injury to others or the destruction of property.

Our responsibility as elected officials is to support Federal, State, and local laws enacted to protect our residents, businesses, and properties. This Borough Council has given the Bellefonte Police Department the direction that should a peaceful protest occurring here in town turn into unlawful acts, the police will deal with it according to the law. The Bellefonte Police Department will use every resource available to ensure our community’s safety during any lawful-peaceful protest.  For the safety of protest participants and property protection, all Local, State, and Federal laws will be enforced, and those involved will be dealt with accordingly.

Our Police Department has the authority to call in whatever support is needed to maintain peace. Any resident who hears of or sees any suspicious or inappropriate activity is always encouraged to contact the Bellefonte Police Department at the non-emergency number 814-355-2320, or in an emergency, call 911. Doing this could keep you, your family, and your friends safe from harm.

Please stay safe and help keep Bellefonte peaceful and protected.

Joanne Tosti-Vasey

President, Bellefonte Borough Council

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 are 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.