Potter County Tax Assessment Office has added more than $1.3 million to the county’s tax base over the past 12 months, due in large part to Chief Assessor Jacob Ostrom’s field work to locate and document new construction and property improvements. The increase in assessed value of $1.3 million computes to another $7.6 million in market value being recorded. The county’s real estate tax base is now $362.7 million (assessed value), which reflects an approximate market value of nearly $2.1 billion. That does not take into account the more than 40 percent of real estate that is tax-exempt, due to ownership by the state or other exemptions. As a result of the field work, school district, municipal and county real estate taxes will yield additional revenue to the respective government bodies.
This year’s increase was lessened from those of recent years due to multiple factors, ranging from building demolition and disabled veterans’ tax exemption to destruction from the remnants of Hurricane Debby last August and a larger amount of acreage being enrolled in the state-mandated “Clean and Green” program, which reduces tax assessments on farmland, forest land, pastures and other open space.
Ostrom’s job grew harder several years ago when the state legislature eliminated the position of township and borough tax assessor. In prior years, these elected officials were responsible for finding and reporting new construction and improvements. Today, the Assessment Office relies primarily on building permit records and visual inspections to update tax records.
Dozens of public offices that have a major impact on life in Potter County will be filled during the 2025 election cycle. Positions on school boards, borough councils, boards of township supervisors and many other influential offices will appear on ballots. Registered Republicans and Democrats will choose their nominees during the Primary Election on May 20. Those who are nominated will appear on the Municipal Election ballot for all registered voters on Nov. 4. A list of all offices on the May 20 Republican and Democratic ballots can be found here. General information on elections and voting is posted on a state-operated website, votespa.com.
Here are some important dates for the May 20 Primary Election:
- March 11— last day to circulate and file nominating petitions
- May 5— last day to register, change party affiliation or report change of address
- May 13— last day to apply for mail-in or civilian absentee ballot
- May 20 (Election Day)– last day for county boards of elections to receive absentee or civilian mail-in ballots (by 8 pm)
Those with questions about petition circulation and the election process can contact the Potter County Elections and Voter Registration Office at 814-274-8467.
Potter County Commissioners Nancy Grupp, Robert Rossman and Paul Heimel have received the findings and recommendations from a consulting firm, Kafferlin Strategies of Warren County, contracted by the county last year to study county operations under the Pa. Dept. of Community and Economic Development’s (DCED) Strategic Management Planning Program. Much of the funding came from DCED. Kafferlin was chosen from among multiple applicants to:
- Review county fiscal management, administration, operations, policies and staffing.
- Create short- and long-term financial plans and issue recommendations related to budgeting, capital projects, overall efficiency, risk management and opportunities for improvements.
Kafferlin Strategies partners Ben Kafferlin and Lisa Hagberg (below) presented their initial findings in early October. Input they received was incorporated into the final document, which was adopted by the commissioners at their Jan. 23 meeting. A copy of the plan will be posted on the county website. The commissioners plan to review the findings and develop a strategy and timetable for implementation. They are also working with a local government policy specialist at DCED to pursue additional funding.
Potter County’s failing “town clock” atop the historic courthouse will soon be restored to service. Maintenance director Joe Kurtz and his team will install the new clockwork acquired by the county commissioners after the current equipment inside the clock tower was deemed by experts to be beyond repair.
Kurtz has been credited with forging a solution that has reduced the county’s cost to a modest $10,000, just a fraction of what the expense would have been to rebuild and stabilize the malfunctioning clockwork that has served for upwards of a century. He and his employees, Kevin Coates and Dan Foster, expect to start installation sometime in February. In recent years, a patchwork of repairs have been made to the mechanism that moves the four long arms to mark time on four separate clock faces. Kurtz credited long-time caretaker Ed Thompson for selflessly donating his services to maintain the clock. He followed in the footsteps of David Hauber, Willard Hauber, Bill Roberts and others. Kurtz and Thompson weighed multiple options before recommending to the commissioners that they purchase a motorized gearbox and controller, along with new driveshafts, gears, hands and center glass. Total project cost is estimated at $26,000, but Kurtz has secured a $16,000 grant to cushion the financial blow.
Prior to moving forward with the plan, Commissioner Paul Heimel contacted directors of the Potter County Historical Society, who agreed to display the current clockwork in its museum on North Main Street. “Everyone agrees that the original equipment has great historic value,” Heimel said. “The society supports this plan and will show the clockwork next to the original clock mechanism from the 1800s which is already on display at the museum.”
The tower with its functioning clock and bell is one reason the courthouse is listed on National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1851-53, the courthouse was remodeled in 1888 with Victorian and Italian touches added to its Greek Revival motif. Major renovations were done in 1933-34 through the Civil Works Administration. The historic bell was silent for many years. In 2016, then-Coudersport Mayor Brenda Whitman and local machinist Bill Daly spearheaded a successful fundraising campaign to repair it.
(Above — This large and complex clockwork that has controlled the four-panel timepiece will be on display at the Potter County Historical Society museum. Below — In 2018, a crew from Fiske Associates of Erie used its massive lift to rehabilitate the clock tower and steeple at the Potter County Courthouse.)
Potter County Commissioners Nancy Grupp, Robert Rossman and Paul Heimel adopted an ordinance that offers tax incentives for construction or expansion of commercial properties during their Jan. 23 public meeting. It’s a successor to a similar ordinance that had been effect for the previous five years. Qualifying property owners can receive a 100-percent abatement of county real estate taxes on the new construction in year one, 80 percent in year two, 60 percent in year three, 40 percent in year four, and 20 percent in year five.
A 1977 state law, the Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA) Act, authorizes the tax incentive program to support business expansion and job retention/creation. The ordinance applies only to the county portion of real estate taxes. However, school districts, boroughs and townships can also offer the incentives.
The commissioners are also considering adoption of a similar tax incentive measure that would make certain residential property improvements eligible for the temporary tax reductions. Among those who support the expansion are the North Central Penn Board of Realtors and the Northeastern Potter Economic Development Association.
Six new military-themed license plates are available to Pennsylvanians. Recently passed legislation allows PennDOT to offer plates honoring military veterans. Three recognize service members who received medals or honors for individual achievements or deployments. They are the standard license plate colors of white, blue, and gold and bear a graphic of the medal awarded. For a fee of $26, the plates are available for use on passenger cars or trucks with a registered gross weight of not more than 14,000 pounds. These plates include:
- Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal Registration Plate – Applicants must submit a completed MV-150P, “Application for U.S. Military Service Registration Plate,” and a legible photocopy of their Form DD-214 “Separation Papers or Discharge Papers” indicating they were awarded the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.
- Operation Inherent Resolve Veterans Plate – Applicants must submit a completed MV-150P and a legible photocopy of their Form DD-214 indicating they participated in Operation Inherent Resolve against the Islamic State and the Levant, which encompasses campaigns in Iraq, Syria, and Libya.
- Borinqueneers Congressional Gold Medal Registration Plate – Applicants must submit a completed MV-150P and a legible photocopy of their Form DD-214 indicating they served in the 65th Infantry Regiment – The Borinqueneers – or other evidence or having received the Congressional Gold Medal.
The other three new plate designs recognize women veterans. Two are available for motorcycles and the third is for passenger cars or trucks with a registered gross weight of not more than 14,000 pounds.
- Honoring Our Women Veteran Motorcycle Registration Plate – A special fund registration plate allowing applicants to purchase the plate for a fee of $41, with $15 going to the Veterans Trust Fund to support programs and resources assisting women veterans. Applicants must submit a completed MV-914, “Application for Honoring Our Veterans Special Fund Registration Plate.”
- Women Veteran Motorcycle Registration Plate – This standard issue motorcycle plate is available for a fee of $26 and consists of plate colors of white, blue, and gold and bears a graphic representing women veterans. Applicants must submit a completed MV-150V and a legible photocopy of their Form DD-214, or a legible photocopy of the front and back of their DD2(RET), “United States Uniformed Services Identification Card (Retired).”
- Women Veteran Registration Plate – This standard issue plate is available for a fee of $26 and consists of plate colors of white, blue, and gold and bears a graphic representing women veterans. Applicants must submit a completed MV-150V and a legible photocopy of their Form DD-214, or a legible photocopy of the front and back of their DD2(RET), “United States Uniformed Services Identification Card (Retired).”
More information, including eligibility requirements and images of license plates, is available on the License Plates page on PennDOT’s Driver and Vehicle Services website.
