Milton Area School District - Real Estate Taxes

Real Estate Taxes

For 2011-12 the school board levied a property tax at 53.7100 mills for residents in Northumberland County. District residents in Union County are taxed at 11.14 mills for the 2010-11 school budget year. A mill is $1 of tax for every $1,000 of a property's assessed value. Irregular property reassessments have become a serious issue in the commonwealth as it creates a significant disparity in taxation within a community and across a region. Additionally, the disparity of district resident's taxation on property taxes is compounded by the district crossing a county line. Property tax rates vary within the school district, depending on where the property is located. School districts located in more than one county are required to apportion the tax levy based on the market value in each county as determined by the State Tax Equalization Board pursuant to section 672.1 of the School Code. As a result, the tax rate increases are not the same for each county in a multi-county school district.

• 2010-11 - 51.0100 mills in Northumberland County. Union County - 11.98 mills.
• 2009-10 - Northumberland County 53.9300 mills, Union County 10.4800 mills.
• 2008-09 - 51.3200 mills in Northumberland County, Union County 10.3000 mills.

In 2010, the State Tax Equalization Board produced a seriously flawed report that properties in several districts had soared in value. In the Milton Area School District, the agency claimed that property values in White Deer Township rose $53 million, from $166 million to $219 million between 2007 to 2008. District residents' property taxes were to increase $400 in one year. After a contentious debate, the agency acknowledged the error and corrected the report. An audit of the agency, called for by local legislators, revealed that the STEB's documentation of municipalities showed 65 percent of the sample contained one or more deficiencies.