Effective January 1, 2012 the Bethel Park School District has contracted with Jordan Tax Service to provide tax collection services. You can contact Jordan at 412-835-5243 or go to http://jordantax.com/ for more information.

However, if you are paying your final 2011 earned income tax or the final installment of your 2011 real estate taxes, they are due to Centax, not Jordan.

I realize this might be a bit confusing, but we made the change to Jordan for several reasons, including the fact that the Municipality is also using Jordan, and we felt it was more convenient for our residents to deal with only one tax collection company.

School District Tax Bills for the 2012-2013 school year will be sent in July. I encourage you to take a close look at your bill because you will have the opportunity to receive a 2% discount on your tax bill if you pay it before a certain date, which will be determined once the tax bills are finalized.

Please note, if you have recently paid off your mortgage and your real estate taxes were previously paid by your mortgage company from an escrow account, you need to contact Allegheny County Treasurer John Weinstein’s office at 412-350-4100 and tell them to now send your tax bill directly to you instead of your mortgage company. You should also contact Jordan to inform them of this development as well. Do not rely on your mortgage company to inform the County or Jordan on your behalf. They will not do that, and it will be your responsibility to pay your taxes on time, regardless of where the bill was sent. Please make sure your tax bills are sent to you and not your mortgage company once your mortgage is paid off to avoid paying any penalties on your taxes.

Additionally, if you are a Bethel Park homeowner who has not completed a Homestead/Farmstead application, we encourage you to do so. Homeowners who completed an application will see their market value on their property reduced by $15,000, which reduces their Allegheny County tax bills only. March 1 was the deadline to apply for a 2012 exclusion, but if you complete the application, you will be eligible to receive the exclusion beginning in 2013. If you have already filled out an application, you need not do so again.

On a lighter note, it is hard to believe another school year is rapidly coming to a close. We have had a very successful year, with our students excelling in the classrooms and on the athletic fields. I encourage you to read about some of their recent accomplishments in this issue of Chronicles.

I also want to take this opportunity to congratulate the seniors who comprise the Bethel Park High School Class of 2012, as well as their families. Best wishes to all of you as you begin a new and exciting chapter in your lives. We enjoyed having you as students and wish you well in your future endeavors.

This message appears in the May 2012 issue of the Bethel Park Chronicles.