Miscellaneous

STSD vs. LVH

As of January 15th, 2019 the Salisbury Township School District (STSD) is filing a lawsuit against the Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH). The reason for the lawsuit is due to the fact that LVH is not paying property taxes. As stated in a 1985 law, all places that are a “purely public charity” must donate a certain amount of their earnings to public places, such as schools. Tax-Exemption is only available for businesses that are purely charities. STSD filed a lawsuit stating that, based on current property value of LVH, approximately $5 million needs to be paid yearly. STSD stated that they feel it is their “obligation to pursue all avenues of revenue for the benefit of the current and future students in our schools.” Along with this, Dr. Randy Ziegenfuss, STSD’s current superintendent, states, “These uncollected revenues could help support core programs and even limit future tax increases.” LVH has not said anything about the case. The dispute has been filed in the Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas.

 

Now here are some questions for you SMS! First off, do you think STSD was right to sue LVH over these property taxes, and if so why? Who do you think is going to be successful in this case and why? Leave your answers in the comments. We can’t wait to hear from you!

 

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