PERSONAL PROPERTY TAXES Township receives extra funds

The bulk of the money came from back-due RMI taxes.
MINERAL RIDGE -- The Weathersfield township trustees received a welcome surprise in the form of extra tax income checks, which totaled around $450,000, trustees announced Thursday.
The money was from personal property taxes assessed to RMI Titanium in October 2003. The company paid the taxes late to the county, which is why the township did not receive the payments until now.
"It's like having two Christmases," said James Stoddard, trustee chairman. The unexpected disbursements came in the form of several checks in different amounts received earlier this week, and township clerk David Rouhan has checked with the Trumbull County Auditor's office to make certain they were not mistakenly sent to the township, Stoddard said.
The county auditor's office explained to trustees that during the recent tax collection, the township received increased revenue due to the collection of delinquent taxes, which constitute the bulk of the funds, Stoddard said, and a slight increase in personal property taxes.
More money
The sum is $50,000 more than was certified by the county auditor for the township at the start of 2004.
The revenue will be distributed to the appropriate township funds, "which will greatly help with the continued shortages that we are experiencing in the police and fire funds," Stoddard said.
Trustees will review the new information further during the next few weeks and will be able to provide further details as to how the township and affected departments will benefit from the unexpected revenue.
Angela Lewis, treasurer for Weathersfield School District, said the situation does not affect school finances because the district already has collected its money from RMI.
She said when the schools learned in February the taxes from RMI were being late, she contacted the county auditor's office.
"I told them we needed that money to operate," she said.
The auditor's office was able to advance a portion of the payments to the schools, Lewis said, and the district got the remainder in June.
Township trustees did not receive the advance on the payments, which is why they are receiving the money now.