Lower Merion School District Settles Long-Running Lawsuit Challenging Property Tax Increases, Agrees to Pay $27M

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Lower Merion School District
Image via Monica Herndon, The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Lower Merion School District has agreed to return $27 million to taxpayers over several years as part of a settlement of a long-running lawsuit over property tax increases in the affluent district, writes Maddie Hanna for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The settlement with aviation lawyer Arthur Wolk and other taxpayers who had accused the district of concealing surpluses to justify tax increases was accepted on Monday by the school board. If it is approved by a Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas judge, the agreement will return $15 million to those who owned property in the school district on August 29, 2016, and had paid school taxes for the year.

The agreement also requires the district to pay $4 million each year for 2023, 2024, and 2025 in rebates to taxpayers. It also includes restrictions that have to be put on future budgets.

“The District continues to deny the allegations of wrongdoing alleged in the suit; however, the Board and Administration believe the best interests of the District’s students and taxpayers are served by bringing the ongoing litigation to a conclusion,” said the district.

Read more about the Lower Merion School District in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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