Exeter High school student Hunter Ahrens recently led the monthly meeting of the Exeter School Board meeting with an informative presentation relating to the Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA) program.
“Put simply, the LERTA is a tax incentive that encourages businesses to rehabilitate deteriorated industrial, commercial and other properties,” says Ahrens at the July 21 meeting. “Businesses that rehabilitate these properties are fixed with a fee schedule that is determined by the school board, which will give exemptions to businesses from real estate property tax.”
The program’s goal is to identify deteriorating property and make restorations to the property; however, the municipality is in charge of designating a LERTA zone.
“The school district, however, has the ability to create a fee schedule that applies to the LERTA zone or to not create a fee schedule,” says Ahrens.
The exemption schedule can be one to 10 years in length, but cannot exceed 10 years. The LERTA is attached to the property and not the property owner. “An exemption schedule allows you to forgive new assessed value from improvement on a property,” say Ahrens.
The idea of the program is to improve blighted properties whose value (or lack thereof) can be detrimental to the surrounding community; Ahrens noted “a property that is deteriorating is likely going to be decreasing the overall value of an area.”
In student functions, the junior high school’s handbook changes raised concerns with board member, Dr. David S. Bender.
The recommendation made was to allow the length of shorts to reach the tops of the palms while skirts must reach fingertips in length. “May we make a distinction between shorts and skirts?” asked Dr. Bender.
In addition to handbook modifications, items up for approval included the blending learning agreement, Meadows Psychiatric Center and ETSD agreement, Valley Forge Educational Services, and Act 48 program replacement between ETSD and River Rock Academy, Inc.
Voting members selected their peers for attendance to the PSBA Delegate Assembly. They are Robert H. Quinter, Board President and Patricia A. O’Brien-Pieja, Treasurer. The assembly is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 13.
It was suggested by Board President Quinter before the meeting adjourned that the public partake in the Exeter Township Superintendent Search Survey regarding qualifications and experiences important in a superintendent.
The school board conjured in the Administration Building with the session beginning at 7:07 p.m. and closing at 9:25 p.m. Board member James Brady was absent.