Hempfield reaches deal to reclaim tax records

Hempfield Township's former tax collector has tentatively agreed to turn over tax records from previous years.

When she left office in January, Susan Creighton took with her tax duplicates for 2000 and 2001. Without the records, the new tax collector, Jim Regola, said he has had difficulty answering some taxpayers' questions.

Last month, the township filed a civil suit seeking to have Creighton return the records. A hearing was to be held Tuesday before a judge in Westmoreland County, but it was canceled when the two sides announced they had reached an agreement.

Les Mlakar, Hempfield's solicitor, said the agreement calls for the township to audit the records within 30 days. Once the audit is completed, Creighton is to turn the books over to the township, and the township will provide her with copies of the documents.

Mlakar on Wednesday said the agreement has been signed by township officials and is awaiting Creighton's signature.

Creighton confirmed that an agreement is pending, but she also said the civil action was unnecessary. Although the township said it tried repeatedly to contact Creighton to retrieve the records, Creighton said officials did not return her phone calls.

"If they had talked to me three months ago, this would have been taken care of a long time ago," Creighton said.

She also said she kept the records because she is legally responsible for any action she took as tax collector until the records are audited. She said the township erred when it noted in the lawsuit that the audit already had been conducted.

"It's not fair to me that I've been made to look like the bad guy when I'm not doing anything wrong," Creighton said. "I'm just following the law."

Creighton said she intends to cooperate fully with the auditors.

The agreement is "a step in the right direction," Regola said, but he questioned whether the records also will include duplicates for school taxes.

That information is part of the records, Creighton said.