Commissioners OK Consol tax refund
Once the Washington County commissioners on Thursday refunded to Consol Energy Inc. a $47,529 overpayment of a property tax bill on coal assessment in Somerset Township, their action brought the energy giant’s bill down to a mere $320.
Consol paid to the county treasurer’s office the three-hundred-and-some dollars on March 28 of last year. The assessment was based on 65 acres of coal reserves.
The county issued the tax bill based on 9,865 acres.
Bradley Boni, the county’s chief assessor, said Wednesday a law firm asked the county last year to take a look at the value of Consol’s coal in Somerset because the county may have missed assessing some acreage.
The county reviewed its records and sent a “change of assessment notice” to Consol, which resulted in an increased tax bill.
The coal giant responded the county’s bill was incorrect because the bituminous deposit already was mined. It appealed the change, and the reduction resulted.
The commissioners’ vote was unanimous.
Coal reserves account for less than 2 percent of Washington County’s total assessed property, which, in 2014, including both taxable and tax-exempt properties, was $1.8 billion. Of that, coal represents $34 million, or 1.89 percent of the billion-plus grand total.