Schuylkill County Treasurer Linda Marchalk said she wants a resolution to the ongoing tax matter between the county and the city.

“It just needs to be resolved and over and done with,” Marchalk said Thursday.

The topic again came to the forefront after Pottsville City council passed a resolution at its Monday meeting to “withhold payment of collected tax revenue to the county of Schuylkill until reimbursement of salary and expenses are paid in full to the city of Pottsville as per the Local Tax Collection Law Act of May 25, 1945,” according to the resolution.

Marchalk, County Administrator Gary Bender, Commissioner Barron “Boots” Hetherington and First Assistant County Solicitor Glenn Roth met briefly Thursday on the matter.

“We are going to schedule a meeting with the city solicitor and Tom Palamar,” Marchalk said.

She did not know when that would occur.

Council member Mark Atkinson said the city took the action, because it was “fed up” with a lack of resolution on the matter. He said the county owes the city $73,000 for collecting real estate revenue. The city has sent monthly bills to the county but has not been paid.

The cited law requires taxing districts to pay the cost of the city treasurer and assistants as well as office expenses, Roth said the county had previously paid promptly.

Marchalk said, “We recognize that we have an unpaid bill to the city of Pottsville for the work of collecting the county tax revenue.”

She said the county wants to pay “its fair share.” However, she wants proof of what that is.

“Justify your bill,” she said.

A more detailed explanation of the work performed by those in the office is warranted, she said.

“I don’t accept the status quo,” Marchalk said.

She had said previously she could not issue payment, because a “contract” was not updated. She is likely referencing a letter dated Feb. 5, 2015, that sets a salary increase for the tax collector for 2016-2019. Bender said previously there is no current contract, because a list of job descriptions wasn’t provided.

She said previously Palamar had agreed to provide additional information, something she said he has yet to do.

Atkinson said previously the county wanted to dispute what it owed.

“However, in accordance with state law, the only time that a discrepancy can occur with respect to tax collection and salary is by ordinance before the 15th of February on the year of an election, and that did nor occur,” Atkinson said in September.

County Commissioners Gary Hess and Hetherington were unaware of the situation until it came to the forefront in September.

Atkinson said submitting the requested information isn’t necessary.

“It is not required per state law,” he had said.

City Solicitor Thomas J. Pellish said before that the city could verify the billing is for tax collection purposes.

Hetherington said Thursday the county “will certainly try” to resolve the matter. I think it would be in the best interest of the city and the county.”