School Tax Information

In early 2017, Delaware County was ordered by the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas to conduct and implement a Countywide Reassessment of all properties in the county to be effective January 1, 2021. Please note that although the District must abide by the Reassessment, the District had no authority in the process.

In November of 2017, Delaware County contracted with Tyler Technologies to perform valuation services in conjunction with the Countywide Reassessment to be completed in accordance with the Court’s timeline. The county mailed formal reassessment notices to all property owners on July 1, 2020. 

Ideally, properties are assessed at 100% of their market value. The purpose of the Countywide Reassessment was to align the assessed values of properties with the market value as of January 1, 2019. Assessed values become inaccurate over time as the real estate market changes. 

The last Countywide Reassessment was implemented in 2000, based on the 1998 “base year” market value. 

Taxpayers may have a significant change, either a reduction or increase, in their school real estate taxes solely as a result of the Countywide Reassessment, not as the result of a tax increase from the District. Use the Assessment Tax Calculator on the District website to see how the countywide reassessment affects your school property tax. For example, based on the realigned millage rate of 13.6629 for the 2020-21 tax year, a property with a previous home assessment of $300,000 and a current home assessment of $500,000 would have seen a reduction in the school property taxes in the amount of $840 based on the Countywide Reassessment alone. A property with a previous home assessment of $400,000 and a current home assessment of $900,000 would have seen an increase in the school property taxes in the amount of $2,070 based on the Countywide Reassessment alone.

As you review the new assessed value, your primary question should be: “Is this the price for which I could sell my property?” If you answer “yes” to this question, your new assessed value is more than likely fair. Your assessment should represent 100% of the July 1, 2019 market value. Looking at sales of comparable properties is also helpful.

The Court’s granted deadline to file a tax assessment appeal for 2021 was September 1, 2020 and has passed.  The deadline for filing a tax assessment appeal for 2022 is August 1, 2021. You can visit the Delaware County website www.delcopa.gov for information on filing a tax assessment appeal. 

The new assessment went into effect January 1, 2021 for your Municipality and County real estate tax bills and will go into effect July 1, 2021 for the school real estate tax bill. 

No, you can not apply the current millage rate to your new assessment as the result will be inaccurate. The new millage rate will be determined by your Municipality, County, and School District for the 2021 tax year.

In the year of a Countywide Reassessment, before the school district can consider increasing school real estate taxes, it must first realign the millage rate so the new rate generates the same amount of overall school tax revenue as the 2020-21 fiscal year (a process commonly referred to as “revenue neutral”). When the total assessed value increases, the millage rate decreases.

A millage rate is the tax rate used to calculate local property taxes. The millage rate represents the amount per every $1,000 of a property’s assessed value. Millage rates are applied to the total taxable value of the property in order to arrive at the property tax amount. Each entity within Radnor Township (Delaware County, Radnor Township, and Radnor Township School District) sets its own millage rate. Millage gets its name from the Latin word “millesimum”, or “mill” for short, which means “thousandth part” (1/1,000). 

The millage rate for 2020-21 was 25.5659. The realigned millage rate for 2020-21 is 13.6629. This new millage rate is a snapshot of what a taxpayer’s school real estate bill for 2020-21 would have been based on the new assessment.   

The school district is in the process of developing the 2021-22 budget, which by law is required to be completed by June 30, 2021. The millage rate for 2021-22 has not yet been set. 

School real estate tax bills will be mailed on or before July 1, 2021 and are for the tax year of July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022.

A 2% discount is offered on your school tax bill if paid in July or August 2021. The flat amount is due if paid in September and October 2021. A 10% penalty is assessed if paid November 2021 to February 15, 2022. The district uses the postmark date to determine when the school tax bill was paid. 

Questions concerning your school tax bill should be directed to Jackie Hanley, Secretary to the Business Administrator/Tax Collector, via email or 610-688-8100 X6043