Lycoming County Commissioners increased the payment that municipal tax collectors may receive, but that wasn't enough for Dottie White, president of the Lycoming County Tax Collectors' Association.
Commissioners took the action Tuesday night during a special meeting that addressed revised compensation for the position of tax collectors and sheriff beginning in 2014.
While commissioners increased payment to $1.75 from $1 for each tax bill collected, White said the county's tax collection efforts for municipalities that don't have their own collector has caused the lack of local representatives.
She said it's more convenient for taxpayers to pay at a local office instead of visiting the county's central collection office at the courthouse.
White asked commissioners to raise the payment to a "reasonable level."
She said local tax collectors used to be paid $2.75 per bill collected.
"I imagine most of you ran on smaller government and better service. Now is the time to put that into action," White told commissioners.
Tom Heap, supervisor of the county's central collection office, said the actual cost to collect tax bills is $1.74. He said that within the past four years his office has more than doubled the number of tax bills collected.
Heap agreed with Commissioner Tony R. Mussare's assumption that county collection is preventing more local tax collectors.
Mussare voted against the increase. Commissioners Jeff Wheeland and Ernie Larson voted yes.
Additionally, commissioners approved an increase in the sheriff's salary beginning in 2014, after the next row office election.
The sheriff's present salary of $59,634 will increase to $67,471 by 2017, according to Beth Johnston, county director of fiscal services. She said the increase represents a 2.5 percent yearly cost of living adjustment.
