New Castle officials deal with tax flub

NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Property owners in the city's 7th and 8th wards who haven't paid their school property taxes yet are being advised not to, until a mistake on tax statements has been corrected.
Those who have already paid school property taxes and live in those wards most likely overpaid -- but they will receive a refund, said Nick DeRosa, New Castle Area Schools assistant schools superintendent.
DeRosa said administrators don't know what caused the billing error. The district's property tax is 84.4 mills, but appears on those billing statements as 88.4 mills.
"We don't know how it happened, but we're working it out," he said. "Everyone who overpaid will receive their refund."
The city treasurer's office mails tax statements to New Castle residents for the school district and collects the taxes.
School officials said the 7th and 8th ward bills were mailed out together. There have been no mistakes reported from other wards, they noted.