Zelienople Borough Council temporarily extended the date by which residents pay face-value property taxes from June 30 to Nov. 30 due to the financial impact of COVID-19, contingent on the county's approval of the same measure at the commissioners' meeting Wednesday.

At a virtual meeting Monday, the council unanimously approved a resolution that modified the date face-value property tax is due for 2020, extending it by five months in the wake of the pandemic's impact on employment and finances. The resolution did not extend the date by which residents can receive a discount on taxes by sending in their tax, and does not apply to years beyond 2020.

After Nov. 30, residents who have not yet sent in property taxes will still pay a 10 percent penalty on top of the face value of property taxes.

According to assistant borough manager Jill Stedina, the county has asked individual municipalities to extend this date, as county commissioners consider a similar measure. Different ideas had been floating around on property tax relief, but an extension of the tax's face value, rather than an early payment discount, was seen as more helpful to more residents.

“We thought it would help more people to extend the time before the penalty, rather than the discount period,” borough manager Don Pepe said Tuesday.

Infrastructure loan

Council also discussed the advertisement for a $3.5 million loan from the county's infrastructure bank at its Monday meeting.

Pepe said the borough was looking for that loan to fund four projects, dealing with Main Street and with stormwater projects. Because the amount of debt is so large, the borough has to pass a resolution and get approval from the state, Pepe said.

“They're heavy-duty funding projects and that would allow us to get infrastructure bank monies if we need to,” he said.

Council will consider that resolution at its May 11 meeting.