Latest News from the Borough

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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.

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 for an Architect, with the term expiring on 12/31/2024. 

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.

Recently the Borough revised its door-to-door sales ordinance. One change is § 410-22. List of homes not wishing to be solicited. There is now a “Do Not Disturb” opt-out form for Borough residents that can be completed and submitted by those residents who do not want door-to-door sales people. This form can be found on our website under “Residents” “Permits and Forms”. Simply complete all the required fields and submit. Your address only will be placed on a “Do Not Disturb” list that will be provided to anyone who obtains a solicitor’s permit.

The Bellefonte Borough Police Department collects unused, unwanted or expired medication in order to keep these items out of the hands of children and other individuals who should not have access to these medications, as well as keeping them out of the environment. There is no need to remove the labels or take the items out of the packaging, as the entire item will be destroyed.

Liquids and over-the-counter medications are also accepted. If you bring in liquids, please see the Office Assistant, as these are placed in a separate container to avoid spills.

Drop off hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at the Bellefonte Police Department, 236 W Lamb St, Bellefonte.