City Switches to County for Tax Collection Services
The City of Butler has decided to collaborate with Butler County for collecting its real estate and per capita taxes starting in 2026. This change follows a vote by the City Council to end its contract with Berkheimer Tax Services.
Council Decision
On Thursday, November 6, the City Council unanimously voted 4-0 to terminate the agreement with Berkheimer and appoint County Treasurer Diane Marburger as the city's deputy tax collector.
Reason for Change
Councilman Donald Shearer explained in September that the city could not continue with Berkheimer due to an unresolved technical issue involving software from RBA Professional Data Systems. Since February, all municipalities in Butler County are required to use this software.
“The county has a system that we have to report to,” Shearer said. “Berkheimer is no longer a viable option because the system doesn’t talk to their system, so we have to find a different solution for the collection of those taxes.”
Benefits and Costs
The new arrangement will cost the city $3 per tax card. Officials noted this will be cheaper and more efficient than the previous system, which issued two separate bills for real estate and per capita taxes.
“This is the perfect time to create government efficiencies by implementing one tax bill with one collection point for spring taxes for city residents,” read a statement from city treasurer Linda Graham-Greek during the October forum meeting.
Summary
The City of Butler is streamlining tax collection by partnering with Butler County, aiming to reduce costs and improve efficiency through a unified billing system starting in 2026.