With mixed emotions...I filed a Right To Know for the list of tax liens for 2011 on Monday evening. My RTK was granted this morning. Josephine Posti sounded giddy during Monday's meeting when she singled out the media to say that this list will be available to publish. I apologize in advance if this causes any heartache for those individuals who can't afford to pay their taxes and have filed bankruptcy. My heart goes out to you. The taxes here are outrageous and it is a struggle to pay them. I do see a familiar name who was endorsed by the Mt. Lebanon Republican Committee, instead of me. For that reason, I am publishing this list. 2011 liened properties
I see some repeat offenders on this year's list. Please understand that there are individuals who cannot afford to pay their taxes, while others may be sticking it to the man. I am sorry for those who are struggling. I am doing everything I can to expose the wasteful spending in Mt. Lebanon. I wish we, the taxpayers, had some recourse other than voting to get control of our local government.
Here is this year's list. 2012 Liened Properties
23 comments:
Hmm, i see an ex school director who currently is employed by the Pittsburgh Steelers on that list. I thought that he was the fiscally responsible one????
HMM...and if Jo Posti were paying her fair share of taxes instead of living in an underassessed house, she would be on the list every year.
Really? 10:22, what makes you think that she wouldn't pay her taxes?
Even if the COUNTY, assessed her higher I don't see any indication that she doesn't pay up!
There's a former Commissioner and State Rep. on the list as well for both a personal residence and a commercial office building !
There is someone who writes for Susan Morgan's blog who was on last year and on there again this year. I would think it would be bad for the business he is in, but what do I know?
Elaine
Someone on Susan Morgan's blog doesn't pay?
Susan Morgan's pal??? (If it wasn't her pal that person wouldn't be permitted in "her blog")
You are kidding!
Aren't you????
I thought that checks that her crowd mails to the tax office were printed on GOLD LEAF!
It's surprisingly easy to get on this list. For me, I had paid my taxes but neglected to give W2 or tax return with my calculation. I found out I had a lein when I went to refinance my house and got denied.
A quick trip to the tax office and it was cleaned up.
While this makes for great entertainment and lauls our elected into thinking you can embarrass people into paying their fair share - then why didn't they publish the names of the parking ticket scofflaws and publish a list of the grossly underassessed properties,
What is the purpose of publishing the list? So we can figuratively brand these people's foreheads with a giant S for scum, unworthy to live in Mt, Lebanon?
I can understand shining a light on an official that sets millage rates that is behind, but will a person that doesn't have the money do, steal, prostitute, deal, gamble because this list goes public?
This community isn't nice, I don't care how new the schools are, how amenities it has.
Mr. Lebowitz for instance is all excited about making a deal that only raises millage by .56.
Maybe he should take some of the people on the list for a latte and ask them what impact the high school project, raises and bonuses have had on their condition before he gets too excited.L
To him the implications of his votes may be peanuts to his neighbors it may mean poising their home.
A few things. The commission is a separate governing body. They didn't publish the parking scofflaws. They did not vote to make the liened properties public.
Elaine
10:53 Learn to read. Never said she wan't paying taxes. Said she hasn't been paying her fair share yet has the audacity to rush to make public a list of people who owe (and I would add, there are anumber of reason there could be a lien that don't indicate some kind of ill intent or lack of means to pay). If someone's house is under assessed by half the amount they paid for it, aren't they paying too little in taxes?
7:02, you have correctly observed that, "This community isn't nice."
The reality is that Mt Lebanon is an extremely vicious community whose school district and municipal government are staffed by individuals that are even more vicious than Mt Lebanon residents.
11:19 I read very well thank you. The list is made public the same time every year. I hardly define that as "a rush".
Again, you implied that if she was assessed at what you percieve to be fair market value, that she wouldn't pay her taxes...that she would be on the list evey year.
So who needs to learn to read...and comprehend?
11:19. You're not very bright. AndI never said anything about a rush. My post was "if Posti were paying her fair share..." Key word there is "if".
Go read your first dumb comment, then read my reply. Then read your next dumb comment (I see a pattern). Your two posts are inconsistent. Sorry, that's a big word. Try this--"what yinz wrote n 'at dont make no sense."
Point taken Elaine, the municipality didn't publish the Parkin scofflaw list or the lien list, you are correct and perhaps that is the way it should be, this doesn't need to be published information. Although in my opinion there is a fine distinction between not paying a $10 parking and not paying property taxes because of hard times, health issues etc.
But did someone say that Posti suggested publishing the lien list might prompt people to pay up their property taxes? If so, may be Jo has created a whole new way to fund raise... Publish a list of every resident in Mt. Lebanon and how much they contributed to the PK fundraiser.
Then not until you've contributed something, and everyone will know the amount, does you name get taken off the list!
What a great way to collar donors, embarrass them into paying up, a whole new fund raising strategy.
That's the way we do it Lebo!
It is embarrassing that the school district has $9,500,000 in reserves and they are begging for $6,000,000 more. Why would anyone donate to an endowment to inflate teacher pay?
As the school district taxes about $2 million in additional revenue does the amount they have to hold in reserve rise based on that new revenue amount?
The amount they need to hold in reserve rises as the grievance needs to be paid for year-by-year. There is already $1,1,00,000+ held in reserve for the second and third years of the contract. That looks like about another $1,100,000 for the fourth and fifth years of the contract for a total in reserves of $2,200,000+ for year 2 through 5 of the contract. At he end of the contract a new pay scale will be written at a higher level for those teachers who won a grievance award that is over and above what the union agreed to in the contract terms.
That is probably why they need an endowment component of the PK funding.
P. S. the first year wasn't reserved because of the way the grievance was filed and decided.
So while the board plays their little financial shell game by distracting us with the bond wrap will only have a .5 mill increase, the reall pea we need to uncover is how much the district operating cost will go in total every year due to the grievance, raises, pensions, etc., etc.
James Fraasch tried to use long-term planning, but the administration and union would have none of that!
We need some tar and feathers for the union and the administration.
Read what the Commonwealth Foundation has to say about public schools' reserves and debt spending.
PA K-12 Education Spending
Elaine
If I was counting on a pension from the MTLSD I'd pay close attention to the Detroit financial fiasco and the your board's propensity to spend money it doesn't have.
Forewarned is foretold. Otherwise you may be on future liened list.
Congratulations to timmie and pooch for accepting turf funds at the expense of neighbors with flooding basements.
Didn't the township pay for YOUR new sidewalk(s)? Some had theirs paid for... AND for tree "shaping" but what even happened to all that missing parking ticket money? Wonder if that's been added to the turf fund?
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