OLYPHANT - While Scranton City Council members were voting to approve a controversial commuter tax, officials from surrounding communities gathered to plan their opposition.
The meeting, held at the Olyphant Borough Building, began with a presentation from Mayfield Mayor Al Chelik, who has been vocal in his opposition to the tax. He spoke to the approximately 30 attendees about the need to band together in a group he called STOP, which stands for Scranton Taxing Our People.
"The first thing we have to do is get organized," he said, listing a need for committees to handle legal strategy, finances and communications.
In order to begin mounting a legal challenge of the tax, which was approved Thursday, he said each of the 24 communities that had confirmed support needed to begin by contributing $200 for legal costs.
According to Mr. Chelik, communities committed to work against the tax included: Archbald, Blakely, Carbondale, Clarks Green, Clarks Summit, Covington Twp., Dalton, Elmhurst Twp., Fell Twp., Glenburn, Greenfield Twp., Jefferson Twp., LaPlume, Mayfield, Moosic, Moscow, Newton Twp., Olyphant, Roaring Brook Twp., Scott Twp., South Abington Twp., Taylor, Vandling and West Abington Twp.
Though Scranton City Council approved the nonresident tax in a 4-0 vote, it must be approved by the Lackawanna County Court before it takes effect. The commuter tax - a 1 percent earned-income tax on nonresidents of Scranton who work in the city - is one component of the city's revised Act 47 recovery plan.
Copies of a resolution, contesting the commuter tax and "all language which allows the imposition of a non-resident wage tax," were available at the meeting. Mr. Chelik encouraged all officials to approve the resolution in their respective communities.
If legal efforts to fight the tax fail, Mr. Chelik noted that the long-range plan would include a boycott of all Scranton businesses and eventually an effort to relocate businesses outside of the city.
The idea of a boycott stirred discussion from Glenburn Twp. supervisor Bill Wicks about the ultimate goal of the group.
"This is a legal battle. This is a political battle," he said. "This isn't a battle against businesses in Scranton."
Calling the business owners victims as well, he reminded the group that many were run by friends and families who lived outside the city.
During the presentation, Mr. Chelik listed an annual $52 local service tax, parking fees and general support of Scranton businesses as non-resident payments to the city.
Scranton City Council President Janet Evans stated that the tax is only intended to be imposed for three years, but Scott Twp. supervisor Michael Giannetta believed that would not be the case, adding that none of the people taxed had the ability to vote against Scranton representatives.
"If this tax passes, it's never going to go away," he said. "The city is going to be like a heroin addict needing this income."
Contact the writer: rbrown@timesshamrock.com, @rbrownTT on Twitter