Tax Collector Regulations Proposed

September 24, 1995|by JOSEPH P. FERRY, The Morning Call

Tax collectors handle millions of dollars in public funds each year with little or no formal training.

They file property liens against homeowners yet are not themselves subject to annual audits.

They can enforce fines and penalties, but there is no easy way they can be removed from office.

In Pennsylvania, local tax collectors are less regulated than barbers, plumbers or auto mechanics.

But if state Rep. Ellen Bard, R-153rd District, gets her way, tax collectors soon will be forced to attend training sessions and pass a test before taking office. They will also have to take continuing education classes to make sure they stay current.

"When it comes to being directly responsible for managing public coffers, there should be defined standards and tests of competency," said Bard. "The legislation ... provides necessary checks and balances, which can reassure the public."

All of which is just fine with Donald P. Knechel.

Knechel admits he was ill-prepared for what lay ahead when he was elected tax collector in Milford Township some 30 years ago.

"That first year I wondered what I had gotten myself into," recalled Knechel with a laugh. "I had a background in accounting and I still wasn't sure what it was all about. I ended up doing twice as much work as I had to do."

While Knechel has gotten a better handle on his duties, his methods haven't changed much. He still makes all his entries by hand in a thick ledger. And his folders keep bulging with paper.

But one thing about Knechel's job has changed significantly -- the amount of money he collects for Bucks County, Milford Township and the Quakertown School District. This year, he expects to handle almost $7 million in taxpayer funds, about four times the amount he handled in 1965.

That's why Knechel, like many of his colleagues across the region, said he supports recently introduced legislation that would make the job of tax collector more professional.

Not only will it make the tax collector a more respected member of the community, some say, but it might also help avoid mistakes that can be costly. Proper regulation could also help avoid the scandals that periodically have plagued tax collectors.

"I have no problem with it at all," said Knechel, who is in his eighth term. "In fact, I'd like to volunteer to teach whatever course they decide to go with. There isn't anything I have not seen or heard in 30 years in this job."

Bard's proposals, introduced this week, would create a seven-member advisory committee that would work with the state secretary of revenue to implement the training and certification program. Any newly elected or appointed tax collection official with less than four years' experience would be required to meet minimum qualifications, complete a one-day training course and pass a test prior to taking office.

Current state law covering the elected office does not specify qualifications or training for those who handle tax receipts.

"As it is now, anyone off the street can run for the office," said Nazareth tax collector Ned Barlieb. "That might have been all right 50 years ago. But today we all handle so much money. It's time people recognize the importance of the job."

The advisory committee would be appointed by the governor and include three tax collectors with at least four years' experience; a certified public accountant or public accountant with at least five years' experience auditing local governments, including tax collectors; one local official; a person with at least five years' experience in banking or finance; and a member of the general public.

"Anything that can eliminate problems I'm all for," said Whitehall Township Tax Collector Susan Galinas. "What I see is a benefit to having people have formalized guidance in performing their job the way it should be done."

Haycock Township Tax Collector Grace Grim agreed.

"It's high time something like this is done," said Grim, who has been in office since 1978. "Too many people don't know what they're in for."

Under Bard's bill, tax collectors would be required to:

*Be at least 21;

*Be a high school graduate or equivalent;

*Have two years' full-time experience in accounting, bookkeeping, tax collection or equivalent experience;

*Have no criminal record;

*Reside in the jurisdiction for at least two years before the election.

All tax collectors also would be required to complete at least 10 hours of continuing education each year.

Emiline Weiss, Telford tax collector and president of Pennsylvania State Tax Collectors' Association, said the new legislation "will bring about a better system, competent and ethical individuals responsible for collecting millions of dollars entrusted to them by their taxing bodies."

Cliff Krauss, who has been collecting taxes in Quakertown for 29 years, said a training program would ensure "that everyone is doing things the same way."

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