Pittsburgh officials apologize for backlog in processing property tax payments

Nobody likes paying taxes. But after they’re paid, it’s easier if the check clears quickly so one can forget about them (until the next time they’re due).

In Pittsburgh, that hasn’t been the case. There’s a six- to eight-week backlog processing real estate and parks tax payments, according to a notice on the city’s website.

Bills for the second installment of property taxes will also be delayed, according to the city’s website.

It means that although taxpayers mailed checks that were received two months ago by the city, they haven’t been processed and cashed.

“It has been an unacceptably long period. We recognize that and apologize, it should not be an ongoing problem,” Dan Gilman, Mayor Bill Peduto’s chief of staff, said Wednesday.

The city’s finance office was faced with what Gilman called a “double whammy.”

The finance department had to mail separate bills for the new parks tax, which levies an extra $50 for every $100,000 of assessed property value, to property owners.

Next year, the new tax will be included in property tax bills, but this year it wasn’t. As a result, the city doubled the number of bills and/or checks it needed to process, while also dealing with staffing cuts because of the covid-19 pandemic, Gilman said.

It left the finance department with twice the checks and half the staff to process the checks, because fewer people were allowed in the office to allow for social distancing, he said.

“We’ve made changes to bring more staff on and we’re starting to catch up,” Gilman said.

The postmark date will be honored despite the delay in processing and no penalties will be assessed because of the delay, according to the city.

“Taxpayers have every right to be upset. We’re doing everything we can to alleviate the problem,” City Finance Director Douglas Anderson said.