The City of Williamsport is hoping to see more developers take advantage of tax abatement for residential, commercial and industrial purposes.

Council approved ordinances amending codified property issues this week commonly referred to as local economic revitalization tax abatements (LERTA).

“It’s time for us to update our ordinance and also to extend it so we’re proposing to extend the ordinance through Dec. 31, 2026 and by doing so our ordinance will be in line with the school district,” said Valerie Fessler, director of the city community and economic development department.

“I think that we’ve probably processed six or seven applications since July of last year when I came into the position,” Fessler said to a question by Council Vice President Eric Beiter of how many applicants have asked for LERTAs.

It’s something that has been beneficial to the chamber of commerce to help attract new businesses into the area.

“You’re not giving up any existing taxes you’re receiving,” said Jason Fink, president/CEO, Williamsport-Lycoming Chamber of Commerce. “You’re aiding the development to take place by letting them gradually get up to what the assessed value of the property is,” he said.

It’s already working as seen with the opening of Wawa and soon a Chick-fil-A and another property developable near Maynard Street.

On the residential side, tax abatement should help to incentivize not only redevelopment of existing homes and, hopefully, the increase of their property values but also some of the vacant homes that somebody could step in and build on, according to Fink.

As an example, in the west end of the city that is taking place, he said, and those will be taxed at the full value — and those homes are $250,000 to $300,000.

“It’s something I think is a very key tool and once again I go back to you’re not giving anything up,” Fink said.

State law requires that the ordinance be passed by a minimum of two of three taxing bodies within that given jurisdiction.

Helping out has been codes department personnel, including zoning administrator Gary Knarr, whenever there are interested parties asking for information or applications, Fessler noted.

Council President Adam Yoder praised how city tax abatement was aligning with the other two taxing bodies.

“I think it’s great that all three have passed this,” he said of what otherwise can be a challenging thing to get a trio of taxing entities on the same page.