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Heart of the Poconos
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Pocono Mountain School District Release Updated Millage Rates
Summary, For Barrett Township / PMSD:
- Assessed Value x .019905 - $447.05 (Homestead) = Taxes Owed
Example property breakdown:
$1437.56 2020 base school tax ($94,680 value x .019905 millage rate less $447.04 homestead exemption)
$1226.67 2019 base school tax (verified by looking at a copy of his last year's school bill)
$210.89 increase in base tax = 17.19% increase ($1226.67 + 17.19% = $1437.56)
Keep in mind that it could very well be that some property owners have an increase in their taxes of 34%, especially if they were undervalued previously, but there are others who are seeing their taxes go down, as well.
If he believes his property is over valued at $94,680, he should get information to prove that (perhaps a formal appraisal) and seek to appeal this with the County's assessment office.
Hope this helps!
Original Article, for all of Monroe County
via Rosemary Brown:
As Monroe County residents are aware, the county recently completed a reassessment. You have previously received your property values but were waiting for millage rates by school district in order to calculate your upcoming school property tax bill.
Important Video Update from Rosemary Brown re: Shenanigans in Harrisburg
Update 7/20/20 @ 7:30am:
House Votes to Amend Pennsylvania Constitution
The state House has approved a proposed constitutional amendment to ensure our citizens are fully represented and safeguard our representative democracy during state-declared emergencies.
The proposal comes in response to the clear power imbalance between our state’s branches of government. It is important to recognize that your state elected officials are your closest voice in Harrisburg. By not allowing the General Assembly to be involved in any decision-making process, your voice, interests, and needs in our state’s Capitol are muffled.
In an effort to clarify legislative and executive authority, Senate Bill 1166 seeks to amend the state Constitution by requiring passage of a concurrent resolution by the Legislature for any disaster emergency declaration a governor wishes to extend beyond a period of 21 days. This would provide an effective balance between ensuring the governor has the authority to act quickly in an immediate emergency situation while also ensuring the General Assembly is properly engaged in the process of addressing long-term response and recovery processes.
The bill was approved by the House and Senate. A constitutional amendment proposal must be approved by both the House and Senate in two consecutive sessions and then be put before the voters in a referendum before it can be enacted.
The need for this change to the Constitution was reinforced Tuesday when the governor vetoed the concurrent resolution adopted in the House and Senate to end the disaster declaration. While we believe House Resolution 836 stood on its own and did not require the governor to approve or veto it, the state Supreme Court ruled otherwise. That’s why Senate Bill 1166 also includes a proposed amendment to establish that a resolution terminating or extending a disaster emergency declaration, including a portion thereof, need not be presented to the governor.
Original Post:
Editor's Note:
Hats off to Rosemary Brown for actually creating and posting this video.
This is the important discussion - not what we're seeing in the media!
Via Rosemary Brown:
A resolution to bring the legislative branch back into the decision-making process and end the emergency declaration was presented to Gov. Tom Wolf for his signature last Wednesday after the state Supreme Court ruled it had to be submitted to him for action. The governor has made it clear he will veto House Resolution 836, despite its bipartisan passage in the General Assembly.
Canadensis couple charged with murder of infant
HONESDALE – Wayne Tompkins and Emily Mack, both of Canadensis, have been charged with homicide for the death of their three-month-old daughter, identified in court papers as W.T.
Pathologist Dr. Rameen Starling-Roney found the cause of death to be ”...multiple traumatic injuries and methamphetamine toxicity and cocaine exposure.”
First half of 2020: Barrett Management Recap
Editor's Note:
I just updated the Downloads section of this site with the first half of the year's meeting minutes from the township.
Below are some highlights that I compiled:
2019 Water Quality Report: Mountainhome, PA
(see attachments)
AQUA Notice of Proposed Acquisition and Rate Base Addition
See attached PDF notice from AQUA America regarding their expansion in Delaware and Chester Counties, PA. Due to this expansion, they are planning on raising the per-gallon rates for AQUA water customers in Mountainhome.
Related:
Aqua America to acquire DELCORA for $276.5M, despite American Water's last-minute interest
Question:
Should the people of Mountainhome own and control their own water infrastructure?
Armed robber hits China III at closing time in Cresco
A masked man with a gun robbed China III restaurant in Cresco Sunday night.
The man entered the rear of the business at 109 Oak Lane, Cresco, armed with a handgun, and demanded employees get money from the cash register, said Pocono Mountain Regional Police Chief Chris Wagner.
Scavenger hunt at Ice Lake
Brodhead Watershed Association offers an adventure to young people wanting to get outside for a while: a scavenger hunt at Ice Lake in Monroe County.
Ice Lake is a little jewel of a preserve in Barrett Township made up of more than 70 acres —perfect for outdoor fun for families.
Armed with a checklist of natural features to find (see brodheadwatershed.org/gopoconos for a printable list), kids can “collect” the scavenger items by snapping a picture. The hunt will include a huge old oak tree, hay-scented fern, lichen, a baby hemlock tree, wintergreen, barberry, witch hazel, and a very notable boulder.
Another Reminder: Beware of Ticks, Lyme Disease, COVID
Editor's Note:
I've written and shared my own experience with Lyme disease before (and Spooky2 / biofeedback) and I found this really good video about COVID and the similarities w/ Lyme:
Dr Bransfield: A Tale of Two Pandemics - Lyme & Covid
(Rosemary Brown's article starts below)
As many of you know, I am a strong advocate for Lyme Disease and Tick-BorneIllness awareness throughout the Commonwealth. I have sponsored multiplepieces of legislation addressing this health concern and have spearheaded the PA free tick testing program.
Kmart Walnutport closing recalls company’s glory days
Featured Quote:
"His estate was valued at more than $3 million with homes in Miami Beach and the 25-acre homestead known as “Green Gables” in Barrett Township, Monroe County. He is buried in the family mausoleum in the Gilbert Cemetery in Chestnuthill Township."
(emphasis added)
Original Article:
The announcement earlier this month that the last remaining area Kmart store (in Walnutport) will be closing came as no surprise to the retail community.
The company has been on a steep downward trajectory for decades, and its acquisition of Sears Inc. and two major recessions, including the one triggered by COVID-19, have pretty much sealed its fate.
What many of our readers may not know is that Kmart’s origins go back to the company’s patriarch, Sebastian Sperling Kresge (S.S. Kresge), who spent most of his formative years in the West End of Monroe County.
More...
PUBLIC NOTICE Final Report Submission (Sections 302(e)(1)(ii), 303(h)(1)(ii), 304(n)(1)(i), and 305(c)(1)) Pursuant to the Land Recycling and Environmental Remediation Standards Act
PUBLIC NOTICE Final Report Submission (Sections 302(e)(1)(ii), 303(h)(1)(ii), 304(n)(1)(i), and 305(c)(1)) Pursuant to the Land Recycling and Environmental Remediation Standards Act, the act of May 19, 1995, P.L. 4, No. 1995-2. Notice is hereby given that Cresco Realty, LLC has submitted to the Department of Environmental Protection a Final Report for a site located at 1 Weiler Dr.,6/14/20 Barrett Township, Monroe County. This Final Report states that this site is currently an active brush/abrasives manufacturing plant. The site was found to be contaminated with heating oil which impacted the soil and groundwater underlying the site. Cresco Realty, LLC has indicated that the remediation measures included characterization of the impacts in soil and groundwater and remediation and collection of attainment soil and groundwater samples. The anticipated future use of the property will be for non-residential purposes. P - June 14
PUBLIC HEARING RESOLUTION FOR AN INTERMUNICIPAL TRANSFER OF A RESTAURANT LIQUOR LICENSE FROM BARRETT TOWNSHIP TO SMITHFIELD TOWNSHIP
Editor's Note:
I usually don't post news alerts for other municipalities but this relates to Barrett because a liquor license is transferring out of the immediate area. This is more of an FYI -
PUBLIC NOTICE SHERIFF'S SALE OF VALUABLE REAL ESTATE - 1197 Upper Seese Hill Road
PUBLIC NOTICE SHERIFF'S SALE OF VALUABLE REAL ESTATE By virtue of a certain Writ of Execution (Mortgage Foreclosure) issued out of the Court of Common Pleas of Monroe County, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to 8994 CIVIL 2019, I, Ken Morris, Sheriff of Monroe County, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will expose the following described real estate to public sale in the Monroe County Courthouse, Stroudsburg, Monroe County, Pennsylvania on Thursday, June 25, 2020 AT 10:00 A.M. PURCHASERS MUST IMMEDIATELY PAY 10% OF PURCHASE PRICE OR SHERIFF'S COST...WHICHEVER IS HIGHER BY CASHIERS CHECK LEGAL DESCRIPTION ALL THOSE CERTAIN lots or pieces of ground situate in the Township of Barrett, Monroe County, Pennsylvania: Being Known As: 1197 Upper Seese Hill Road f/k/a PO Box 41 Upper Seese Hill Road Canadensis, PA 18325 Being Parcel Number: 01/22/1/30 Pin Number: 01638804920766 SEIZED AND TAKEN IN EXECUTION AS THE PROPERTY OF: LYNN BRUSH A/K/A LINDA LEE BRUSH TO ALL PARTIES IN INTEREST AND CLAIMANTS: "All Property Owners' Associations (POA) who wish to collect the most recent six months unpaid dues in accordance with their statutory lien under the Uniform Planned Community Act of 68 PA. C.S.A. 5315(b)(2)(ii) must provide the Sheriff's Office at least two weeks before the Sheriff's Sale with written notification of the amount of the lien and state that "such amount is for the past six months prior to the Sheriff's Sale only." Any sale which does not receive such notification from a POA will not be collected at the time of Sheriff's Sale." A schedule of proposed distribution for the proceeds received from the above captioned sale will be on file in the Office of the Sheriff within thirty (30) days from the date of the sale. Distribution in accordance therewith will be made within ten (10) days thereafter unless exceptions are filed within said time. Ken Morris Sheriff of Monroe County Pennsylvania ROBERT FLACCO, ESQUIRE Sheriff's Office Stroudsburg, PA Barry J. Cohen, Sheriff's Solicitor PR - May 22, 29; June 5
PUBLIC NOTICE SHERIFF'S SALE OF VALUABLE REAL ESTATE - Unit 731, Cottages at Buck Hill Falls
PUBLIC NOTICE SHERIFF'S SALE OF VALUABLE REAL ESTATE By virtue of a certain Writ of Execution (Money Judgment) issued out of the Court of Common Pleas of Monroe County, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to 1403 CIVIL 2018, I, Ken Morris, Sheriff of Monroe County, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will expose the following described real estate to public sale in the Monroe County Courthouse, Stroudsburg, Monroe County, Pennsylvania on Thursday, June 25, 2020 AT 10:00 A.M. PURCHASERS MUST IMMEDIATELY PAY 10% OF PURCHASE PRICE OR SHERIFF'S COST...WHICHEVER IS HIGHER BY CASHIERS CHECK LEGAL DESCRIPTION Tax Code No. 1/30A/1/23-31 Pin No. 01637802963450U731 ALL THAT CERTAIN lot or parcel of land situate in the Township of Barrett, County of Monroe and State of Pennsylvania, described as follows, to wit: BEING designated as Unit 731 as shown on a map titled "Site Plan, The Cottages at Buck Hill Falls, Phase 1, Section 1, Barrett Township, Monroe Co., Pa.". Sheet 1B, dated June 10, 1986, revised October 17, 1986, prepared by R.K.R. Hess Associates, Inc., Stroudsburg, Pa,. and recorded November 21, 1986, in Map File 58-317; the northerly corner of said lot being North 17 degrees 34 minutes 08 seconds West 167.80 feet from Base Line Point "A" (as shown on said plan), said corner also being South 29 degrees 35 minutes 04 seconds West 437.33 feet from Base Line Point "B" (as shown on said plan); the westerly corner of said lot being North 29 degrees 39 minutes 06 seconds West 140.44 feet from Base Line Point "A", said corner being South 29 degrees, 18 minutes 16 second West 479.61 feet from the Base Line Point "B"; said lot having dimensions as shown on the plan attached hereto and made a part hereof title "Unit 731, Buck Hill Falls, Phased 1 - Section 1". SEIZED AND TAKEN IN EXECUTION AS THE PROPERTY OF: WAYNE J. DUNLOP MELISSA A. DUNLOP TO ALL PARTIES IN INTEREST AND CLAIMANTS: "All Property Owners' Associations (POA) who wish to collect the most recent six months unpaid dues in accordance with their statutory lien under the Uniform Planned Community Act of 68 PA. C.S.A. 5315(b)(2)(ii) must provide the Sheriff's Office at least two weeks before the Sheriff's Sale with written notification of the amount of the lien and state that "such amount is for the past six months prior to the Sheriff's Sale only." Any sale which does not receive such notification from a POA will not be collected at the time of Sheriff's Sale." A schedule of proposed distribution for the proceeds received from the above captioned sale will be on file in the Office of the Sheriff within thirty (30) days from the date of the sale. Distribution in accordance therewith will be made within ten (10) days thereafter unless exceptions are filed within said time. Ken Morris Sheriff of Monroe County Pennsylvania GARY J SAYLOR, ESQUIRE Sheriff's Office Stroudsburg, PA Barry J. Cohen, Sheriff's Solicitor PR - May 22, 29; June 5