ARCHBALD — The Valley View School District told residents Thursday to throw out their recently received school tax bills and wait for new, lower bills to arrive due to a miscalculation.
The tax bills initially mailed to residents did not reflect the correct information due to an issue with the program used to recalculate Valley View’s millage rate in accordance with the countrywide reassessment, according to a statement posted to the district’s Facebook page Thursday afternoon.
The district, which serves Archbald, Blakely and Jessup boroughs, instructed residents to wait for new bills to arrive before submitting a payment.
“This adjustment will result in a lower millage rate which will in turn reduce your tax bill,” Business Administrator Corey Castellani wrote in the statement.
Valley View mailed corrected bills Thursday, which should arrive shortly, Castellani wrote.
Lackawanna County’s first reassessment since 1968 took effect this year, drastically lowering local millage rates to offset higher assessed property values. A mill is a $1 tax on every $1,000 of assessed property.
The reassessment was required to be revenue neutral, meaning taxing bodies like school districts essentially collect the same amount of property tax revenue after reassessment as they did prior to it. Accordingly, when assessed values increased, local taxing bodies had to decrease their millage rates.
Valley View apologized for any confusion or inconvenience caused by the issue. Residents with questions after receiving their corrected bills can contact the district’s business office for help.