State Supreme Court to Hear Aspects of Coal Township Fees Case

HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has agreed to hear aspects of an appeal filed by Coal Township over its permit fees fight with Northumberland County. This comes after a lower court found in favor of Northumberland County regarding permit fees charged during the construction of the county jail.
The News Item says the state high court agreed to hear appeals on two issues regarding the state’s Refund Act in a one-page document dated Tuesday.
According to The News Item, Coal Township’s attorney Paul Logan has argued the Refund Act “unambiguously required” the county to submit a verified claim to the township before filing suit, adding the county’s September 2017 letter remitting payment of over $220,000 under protest was not a verified claim.
Northumberland County Solicitor Frank Garrigan told The News Item the Refund Act does not define the type or means of verification for the written notice request; however, he says the county’s notice did not contain an oath of affirmation.