A miscommunication in the Lycoming County tax collection office may have troubled some taxpayers who attempted to submit their taxes after the deadline of June 30, which fell on a weekend, Commissioner Rick Mirabito said Tuesday.

State law dictates that tax collectors across all levels of government must allow citizens to pay their taxes without penalty until the next business day following the deadline, should that deadline fall on a weekend or federal holiday.

Thus, county taxpayers should have been able to pay without penalty until July 2, the Monday following the weekend deadline, Mirabito said.

However, with it having been five years since the last time a deadline occurred on a weekend or holiday and with the director being out of the office, confusion led to some people being told that a penalty would be applied to payments made after June 30, explained Thomas D. Heap, tax claim director.

“Without question, I offer my apologies to the taxpayers on behalf of my staff and my office,” Heap said.

The assessment office returned seven payments that were postmarked July 2, two of which had paid with the penalty, he said. The number of phone calls that came in from people wondering whether they could pay July 2 without a penalty “was limited,” he added, and the office has identified those whose payments were postmarked July 2.

“It was an innocent mistake,” Mirabito said. “Next year, the 30th falls on a Sunday, so taxes will be accepted on Monday, July 1.”

The commissioner also warned that relying on a postmark is tricky because some mailboxes are not serviced each day. When using mail, take the bill to the post office and ensure the postal worker stamps the envelope that day, he recommended.

“The mail has been cut back in this area,” Mirabito said. “Mail is not getting processed as quickly as it used to.”

In another matter, the commissioners will consider purchasing new carpeting for the third and fourth floors of the courthouse for $75,292 from Shaw Integrated Solutions. The amount will come out of the general fund budget’s maintenance and repairs category.

Another quote came in at $9,084 specifically for domestic relations, which is moving from the third floor of the courthouse to the fourth and will pay for its portion of carpeting with a special fund consisting of federal incentive monies, based on department performance over the years.

That fund is paying for the entirety of the domestic relations department’s move, said Stephanie Tribble, domestic relations director.

In other business, the commissioners approved a 10-year contract with Thomas Reuters Assured Print Pricing for the court administration, which includes a 1-percent increase in price each year. The longer the contract term, the smaller the price increase, said Adrianne Stahl, court administrator. To offset the price increases, the courthouse cut down on book sets used, resulting in a roughly estimated $1,747 per month, she added.

The county also approved an amendment to a professional service agreement with the Webb Weekly to colorize its recycling notification advertisements and change the graphics, resulting in a $110 increase from $335 per ad to $445, said Jason Yorks, Resource Management Services director.

The changed ads will be a trial run during the last year of the 2017-19 contract to see if they catch more people’s attention, he said.

Other matters to be considered this week include a $78,276 generator for the 911 center, which may be partially covered by 911 funds, and three new hires.

Commissioners Jack McKernan and Tony Mussare also were present. The next meeting will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday in Executive Plaza.