by Jackie Nunnery
HEATHSVILLE—Northumberland supervisor Keith Harris recently recruited planning commission member John Kost to evaluate the payment of taxes twice a year. Kost presented his findings at the board’s regular meeting on Thursday, August 13.
“When I decided to run for office, one of my concerns was how we’re funded here in the county,” said Harris. “I wanted a stable level of funding, so hopefully we could get out of future borrowing if we had to and keep it consistent. And also, I know as we become more of a burden on the citizenry with the increased taxes, how can we help them? The one thought was to do it twice a year.”
“Our fiscal year starts on July 1, but our primary source of revenue is real estate taxes, and currently those are collected in November,” said Kost. “You’re already five months into the fiscal year and you have no money, hypothetically. So the county occasionally borrows to do this.” Kost said the $5 million revenue anticipation note borrowed in 2025 cost taxpayers $165,013 in interest and fees.
Kost proposed the first collection to be due in June and the second in December, starting with the 2027….
