Elanco letter asks taxpayers to stand against elimination of property tax
Columbia's decision to ban former employee from its property may be 'unconstitutional' [Lancaster Watchdog]
Chris Vera [Columbia Spy file photo] The following information is excerpted from a December 6, 2025 LNP Watchdog article by LNP | LancasterOnline reporter Jade Campos. Still reeling from an abrupt firing from his role as head of the Columbia Market House in March, Chris Vera was surprised to get a letter in the mail from a Columbia Borough attorney two weeks later telling him he was banned indefinitely from borough property. The letter gave no reason for the ban. Nine months later, Vera, who has served as president of the Columbia Historic Preservation Society for more than a decade and has helped with the borough’s comprehensive plan, is still banned from borough property. He believes the ban includes borough parks, which is part of the reason he moved his annual Albatwitch Day festival, which celebrates the myth of a local cryptid, to Wrightsville. Vera said he’s not sure why the borough went to such lengths to keep him away from public spaces given his termination from the borough s...
Comments
Yes homeowners would continue to pay towards paying down the debt until it's gone. That would be 10% a year.
Those of you who want to take the time to educate yourself on this should research the bill for the truth.
Just something to think about!
www.ptcc.us
Yes, a small amount of property tax will remain to service existing debt but the time can vary between one year and twenty years depending on the term of the debt. You could have said that but it wouldn't have been nearly as alarming. And the Independent Fiscal Office said that the average remaining debt payment statewide will be about 18% of the homeowners' current property tax payment. Yes, it is something to think about when you have all the facts.
Your class warfare tactics of pitting retired versus working homeowners is as sleazy as it gets. The PA Independent Fiscal Office analysis of the legislation said this:
• The analysis indicates that HB 76 will cause home values to increase, on average, by more than 10% statewide. (Page 23) (This will restore a large amount of the equity that was lost to homeowners during the 2008 housing downturn.)
• Working age homeowners realize a tax cut. The analysis finds that the increase in federal income tax (through lower itemized deductions), state income tax, and sales tax is more than offset by the reduction in property taxes. (Page 21)
• Retired homeowners realize a significant reduction in taxes. The analysis finds that the property tax reduction easily offsets any increase from the higher sales tax. (Page 21)
For whom are you a shill?
The details of this grassroots-crafted legislation are at www.ptcc.us. Learn the truth!
Currently, there is no House Bill 76 or Senate Bill 76, in the new legislative session, as referenced in these comments. Under the old, expired bills, of the last session, there was nothing written in the bills that would limit a school district on the amount of property tax they could levy for debt burden which could be a huge hit on working property owners.
Hey, I am all for eliminating the property tax but it has to be done right. The prior bills, SB 76 and HB 76, were horrible. Bottom line, if any type of property tax elimination is to be considered, it MUST be coupled with regulations that restrict the ridiculous spending our school boards seem to love. Without these restrictions, school boards will spend more during good financial times. School unions will demand more pay and benefits during good financial times. When a recession comes along, and the sales and income tax revenue drops, what do we do? How do we continue to fund the spending the school boards committed to when times were good.
Our state legislature needs to fine tune the old bills and introduce new bills that eliminate or cap the amount a property owner must pay for debt burden!
Our state legislature require school boards to restrict the amount of spending, including teachers and administrators salaries, to an amount that could be absorbed when revenue from the income tax and sales tax is down.
Done right, property tax elimination is a win-win for all. Done wrong, it is a recipe for disaster.