The tax bill Schuylkill County owes the city will be paid now that an agreement between the two is done.

County commissioners approved the language Wednesday at their weekly meeting. The approval of the agreement is “one less controversy to worry about,” Commissioners’ Chairman Barron “Boots” Hetherington said.

The cooperation between the two is a welcome development, he said.

“Before it was just a bunch of pushback on both sides,” Hetherington said.

Commissioner Gary Hess said the tax issue had been overdue for too long. The city and the county can now “move forward. This is fantastic.”

Commissioner George Halcovage Jr. did not attend the meeting.

As approved, the county will share one-third of the expense of the city’s tax office with the exception of the deputy clerk handling city trash accounts, which the county shall be charged at one-half of the one-third expense of the salary and benefits for that position.

Upon payment of the county’s invoice for its share of the 2020 city of Pottsville tax office, the city shall remit 2020 county real estate tax funds within its possession.

County Treasurer Linda Marchalk said the city needs to provide an updated bill for the year. Once done and appropriate signoffs are made, the city will “probably have a check within two weeks,” she said.

An amount was not provided, but as of early November the county owed the city $73,000, council member Mark Atkinson said.

Marchalk said both sides came to “a good resolution.” She said the county realized a savings of $8,000 with the change of the amount the county pays the deputy city clerk. City solicitor Thomas J. Pellish said the bulk of the job of the deputy clerk was city business, thus the reduction in cost to the county.

Pellish and First Assistant County Solicitor Glenn Roth were tasked with coming to an agreement after city and county officials met. City council had voted to not turn over county collected real estate revenue for 2020 because it had not been paid for services performed.

The Pottsville Area School District also pays one-third of the cost for those collecting the taxes per the Local Tax Collection Law of May 25, 1945.