Alburtis Borough Council on July 8 tabled a proposal to outsource administration and collection of the borough’s Local Services Tax and Per Capita Tax to Berkheimer, delaying a decision until a future meeting.

The proposal included eight resolutions that would have authorized Berkheimer to collect the taxes, serve as the borough’s tax hearing officer, coordinate the exchange of confidential tax information and assess collection costs on delinquent taxes as permitted by law. After discussion, council opted to postpone action on the resolutions to allow additional review of the proposal.

The Local Services Tax is authorized under Pennsylvania’s Local Tax Enabling Act and helps municipalities fund services such as police protection, fire protection, emergency services and road maintenance. The Per Capita Tax is a flat tax assessed on adult residents by many Pennsylvania municipalities and school districts to support local government operations.

Berkheimer is one of Pennsylvania’s largest local tax collection agencies, and many municipalities contract with the company to administer these taxes. Supporters of outsourcing often cite reduced administrative burdens for local staff as well as centralized tax collection and enforcement services.

In other business, council discussed a request from Councilwoman Ashley Rivera to explore generator options for the borough maintenance shop. Officials said backup power could help maintain public works operations during outages and severe weather events, including storms similar to the one that affected the area the previous week. Council directed staff to compile a list of equipment needs and obtain cost estimates. During public comment, former Mayor Kathleen Palmer thanked borough employees, police officers and emergency responders for their work following the recent storm.

Council President Ron DeIaco also praised residents who assisted during cleanup.