Times Chronicle & Public Spirit
Wolf calls for boost to senior tax rebate
Governor tours Lansdale’s North Penn Commons and YMCA in visit to Montco
LANSDALE » Gov. Tom Wolf came to Montgomery County Wednesday to bolster the efforts of state lawmakers aiming to lessen the financial burdens of senior citizens.
Wolf was joined by elected officials during his visit to North Penn Commons, which houses four nonprofits — Advanced Living Communities, the Lansdale Area Family YMCA, Manna on Main Street, and The PEAK Center. Together, the four agencies offer a “one-stop shop” for education, food, fitness, and housing services.
“I think this is really important,” Wolf said, later adding that “individuals have human needs, and those needs may or may not conform to the way bureaucracies are established. You bring services together.”
Wolf walked through the lobby of North Penn Commons, shaking hands, making conversation and taking photos with representatives from the respective organizations.
“It’s fabulous,” said Keri Fisher, program director for the Common Grounds training program at Manna on Main Street. “We don’t do the work for the accolades, but it’s always nice when someone in a position of power recognizes the hard work we’re doing here, and the difference we’re making in the lives of so many people.”
The event transitioned to prepared remarks from elected leaders about the COVID-19 pandemic’s economic impact on older adults.
“For Pennsylvanians on a fixed income or budget, those extra costs are really painful,” Wolf said.
“Too many are struggling to stay in their homes that they love, and stay connected to the neighbors they call friends because their property tax bills or rent payments are rising beyond their control and their ability to pay,” said state Rep. Steve Malagari, D-53rd Dist.
Malagari and Wolf noted how inflation has led to rising costs of essentials including food, rent, utilities, and health care.
Malagari, Wolf and state Sen. Maria Collett, D-12th Dist., stressed the need to supplement the state’s previously established Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program through the use of $204 million in unappropriated American Rescue Plan Act funding.
“I want to supercharge this program in 2022. I want to double the rebate of every participant in the program,” Wolf said. “This is one way we can help take some of the financial pressure off older adults on a fixed income, and will go a long way toward providing peace of mind.”
Pennsylvania has $2.2 billion in unassigned funds from its share of the $1.9 trillion federal stimulus package that was passed by Congress last March, according to Wolf.
“These federal funds were specifically earmarked to help everyday Pennsylvanians recover from the effects of the pandemic,” Collett said. “If we don’t spend them, we must return them.”
House Bill 2560 is sponsored by state Rep. Steve Samuelson, D-135th Dist., and Senate Bill 1187 was introduced by Collett, according to the Pennsylvania General Assembly’s website.
The program stipulates annual income limits of $15,000 for renters and $35,000 for homeowners, according to Samuelson’s memorandum in sponsoring the House legislation. Eligibility excludes half of Social Security income.
While Pennsylvania residents ages 65 years and older are eligible, parameters also apply to widows and widowers ages 50 years and older, as well as others 18 years and older with a disability, according to Samuelson.
Malagari and North Penn School District School Board President Tina Stoll noted that the school district has a companion rebate program that eligible participants can also apply for. Created in 2017, the initiative offered a 25 percent match to the state program, according to Stoll, which has increased year-after-year. It now sits at a 60 percent rebate, according to the school district’s website.
The rebate program has a direct impact on people living in Montgomery County as 73-year-old Gazi Razzak knows first hand. Razzak has been living in Lansdale for more than two decades and is a recipient of the state’s property tax/rent rebate program.
“It is a great program that helps so many eligible seniors like me in this commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” he said. Both bills were introduced as part of the Pennsylvania General Assembly’s 2021-22 legislative session, but it’s unclear when they will be up for a vote.
Following his remarks, Wolf took a tour of the Lansdale Area Family YMCA facility, which received a $2.5 million state grant to construct a new gymnasium, according to a statement from Malagari’s office.
“It’s gonna be a great impact,” said YMCA Branch Executive Bob Varga.
The facility is slated to include a running track and pickleball space, according to Varga.
Describing the initiative as “unique,” Varga praised the partnership with local organizations to provide essential resources to area residents, along with 60 apartment units for seniors.
“This is definitely unique. This is one of the first ones in the nation that came together (with) four nonprofits that came together and built this facility. It services the whole community,” Varga said, adding that “it’s a model. It’s definitely a model.”