SMETHPORT – McKean County residents who are in danger of losing
their homes will now have some help from the county’s tax claim
bureau.

The county commissioners gave their support to the bureau’s
director, Kathy Roche, during a workshop Thursday in the McKean
County Courthouse. Roche has developed a new plan that may prevent
some residents from losing their homes.

During the work session, Roche explained that approximately
1,800 county homes are up for tax sale because of outstanding
property taxes.

Currently, homeowners owing taxes can sign an agreement with the
county to make monthly installments to repay the delinquent taxes.
Under the current policy, homeowners would make eight monthly
payments to the county to keep the home from being sold in a tax
sale.

As economic hardship sweeps across the county, Roche explained
that many people cannot afford to make these payments, so Roche is
implementing a new policy in which property owners only have to pay
the amount that keeps it from going to sale – 2007 delinquent
taxes.

A house goes up for tax sale when there are two year’s worth of
outstanding taxes, 2007 and 2008 for this year. Under Roche’s new
plan, homeowners would only have to enter an agreement to pay the
2007 taxes, keeping it from going to tax sale. The current policy
requires homeowners to enter into an agreement to pay the both
year’s worth of taxes – 2007 and 2008.

Roche’s plan is only applicable this year, unless, she said, the
economic hardship continues into next year, at which point she
would approach the commissioners again on possibly extending the
plan into 2010.

Her tax plan also changes the payment schedule. Instead of
paying eight monthly installments, homeowners will now only have to
pay once every other month for the eight-month repayment period,
dropping the number of payments from eight to four, Roche
explained.

There are qualifications that homeowners must meet so not every
property owner will benefit, but Roche expects that nearly 220
homeowners across the county will be able to keep their homes as a
result of the new agreement terms.

The commissioners supported Roche’s plan.

“I think we need to take every step possible to help these
people,” Commissioner Al Pingie said.

In other business, the commissioners announced that the
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has approved the plans
for the Boyer Bridge Crossing, and advertisements for bids will be
published soon.