Issue #1: Problem Ridden Audits
The most serious of the problems within the Falls Township Tax Collector’s Office are the findings that have been found during audits conducted by the Bucks County Controller’s Office1. The county municipal tax collectors are required to be audited every year. While the Controller’s Office is behind on conducting audits due to the backup created by COVID, they have published results of their audits on our local office dating from 2014 through 2021. During this seven year span, the following issues have been found:
- Failure to perform monthly bank reconciliations – Found in all published audits.
- Missing or incomplete documentation for deposits – Found in all published audits.
- Unreimbursed service charges to taxpayer accounts – Found in multiple audits.
- Inability to explain discrepancies in tax collections – Found in multiple audits.
- Failure to retain essential documentation, such as postmarked envelopes – Found in multiple audits.
- Repeated audit findings year after year with minimal corrective action – Year after year the Tax Collector has responded to the audits with “Will do” or “Will Comply”. Yet year after year the auditors continue to find the same violations. If you or I had these repeated issues with our job performance reviews every year, would we still be employed? The answer is “NO”. We would have been fired years ago. This performance is unacceptable, it’s time to FIRE the current Falls Township Tax Collector.
These issues go beyond minor administrative errors — they are violations of basic, essential public accounting practices that ensure transparency, accountability, and proper handling of YOUR tax dollars. It should be noted that the only funds and actions audited are the collection of the County taxes. If this is how the County taxes are handled, exactly how are the Township and School taxes handled.
Issue #2: Inconvenient Office Hours
Did you know that Falls Township’s Tax Collector is only required by law to be open three days a week? Unfortunately, that’s exactly what our current Tax Collector does—just the bare minimum:
- Open only 3 days a week 2
- 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM (when most people are at work!) – A few hours covered by the Tax Collector and a few hours covered by the assistant. Maybe more time at work would eliminate the audit findings.
- Closed Thursday & Friday – It must be nice for 4 day weekends to be the norm.
- No evening hours & no Saturday hours – The Tax Collector does not even offer evening or weekend hours to accommodate the senior citizens or hardworking families of our township.
- The Tax Collector is never there! – This is one of the most common complaints I’ve heard from residents while I have been out meeting them.
This schedule is not convenient for hardworking families, seniors, or anyone who can’t drop everything during the workday to handle tax-related matters.
Falls Township taxpayers deserve a Tax Collector who actually shows up and works for them. Let’s bring real accountability and customer service to this office!
Issue #3 – Inaccurate Tax Bills
At the end of 2022, Falls Township increased the fire tax—but when tax bills were sent out, the increase was left off.
- Frustration for residents – No one knew there would be an extra tax bill as we were never warned about it.
- Confusion about payments – Residents thought they fully paid their tax bill only to find out otherwise.
- Unnecessary extra paperwork and expense to taxpayers – The second tax bill required additional paperwork and mailing. According to the Falls Township Budget Documents3 published on their website, this error cost the Falls Township Taxpayers an added $10,000.00 in expenses. Unethical & Unacceptable!!
Tax bills should be correct the first time. Residents shouldn’t have to deal with errors that cause stress and inconvenience. While the Tax Collector does not have the authority to change the tax bills, they do have an ethical obligation to Taxpayers to ensure they work with Township, County, & School District officials to ensure the tax bills are correct.
Issue #4 – Lack of Communication
Have you ever visited fallstwptax.org, the official website of the Falls Township Tax Collector? If so, you probably noticed that it’s unprofessional and completely unhelpful.
- No useful tax information
- No clear payment instructions
- No resources to help residents
Taxpayers deserve a modern, informative, and user-friendly website that actually helps them find what they need—quickly and easily.
Issue #5 – Poor Customer Service
Paying your taxes shouldn’t come with rude treatment or poor customer service—but that’s exactly what many Falls Township residents have experienced.
- Hung up on when calling the office
- Made to feel like a bother – No-one should get an attitude when they need to do business with the Tax Collector Office.
- Treated rudely instead of receiving help – One taxpayer recently let me know that he was referred to a commission of the township when he asked a tax related question that the Tax Collector should have been able to answer. Taxpayers deserve better!
This is completely unacceptable. Taxpayers deserve respect, professionalism, and a helping hand—not frustration and indifference.
Falls Township taxpayers should feel valued, not dismissed. Let’s bring respect and real service back to the Tax Collector’s office!