Potter County tax bills mailed

Property owners throughout Potter County have received some unwelcome mail this week: tax bills.

If there’s one small consolation, it’s the continued availability of a two-percent discount for those who pay their taxes before April 30. Some groups have called on the state legislature to eliminate the early-payment deadline, but it has survived for at least another year.

On the other hand, those who do not pay their taxes by June 30 are subject to a 10-percent penalty. Bills that were sent last week cover the county and township/borough real estate taxes and the $5.00 county per-capita tax.

School district tax bills will be mailed this summer. Homeowners who want to qualify for reduced school taxes have until March 1 to apply for the “homestead exemption,” which requires school districts to cut real estate taxes on owner-occupied homes. Homeowners who were already approved for the homestead exemption for the 2009 school tax year do not have to reapply.

Applications from each Potter County school district can also be downloaded from the Tax Assessment page on county’s website: www. pottercountypa.net. Homeowners can also fill out an application at the Assessment Office, located in the F.W. Gunzburger County Office Building, Coudersport, weekdays from 8:30 am to 4:30.

Taxpayers who qualify for the homestead exemption will see a credit on their school district real estate tax bill mailed later this year.

Homeowners in Potter County are advised to contact their school districts if they have questions. Those with further questions should call the Potter County Assessment Office at 274-0517.