Penbrook Borough litigation, citations, tax and sewer rate increases

In August, I commented on Penbrook Borough's requirement that rental property owners file copies of their own federal tax returns with the Borough office. As I stated in August:

Penbrook's employees have begun to embroil the Borough in an ever widening controversy, the outcome of which depends only on the willingness of investors and residents to appeal to the Court of Common Pleas or otherwise challenge the Borough in Court.

Since that time, one investor filed suit against the Borough as a result of this requirement and other Borough initiated litigation.

The Harrisburg Patriot-News reported yesterday on this lawsuit and some of the issues behind it. That Patriot quoted Plaintiff Michael Coleman's research showing that the Borough filed 562 citations in 2009, despite having only about 3,000 residents. As a guest on the Bob Durgin radio show this afternoon (on WHP 580) Coleman cited public records showing that all but about 80 of those citations were unsuccessful.

Coleman further stated that Penbrook's campaign of citations is motivated by the Borough's need for revenue, a claim that is supported in part by Penbrook's increase in real estate taxes and sewer rates a year ago.