ELYSBURG - Ralpho Township and Southern Columbia Area School District must pay back a combined $23,760 to Fleetwood Liquidation Trust for a state transfer tax that was never supposed to be charged.
In August, CC Industries (CCI) Inc., parent company of Great Dane Trailers, purchased the remaining portion of the RV complex formerly owned by Fleetwood Enterprises, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2009.
When the deed was transferred, a 2 percent state fee was imposed. One percent went to the state, and 1 percent was split equally between the township and the school district.
However, the transaction should have been exempt due to the trustee's bankruptcy status, district solicitor Rich Roberts said.
The district and the township were notified in October of the request for payback. At its meeting Monday, the school board voted to approve the refund, for which it owes $11,880 to Fleetwood Liquidation Trust.
It took four months to look into the legal aspects of the request, Roberts said.
For the township, the legal review continues. Manager Joseph Springer said Thursday that solicitor Todd Kerstetter and the trust's legal representation are still discussing the issue.
"The attorney will bring back a recommendation. It's good business practice to make sure they're really asking for something they deserve and legally can get," Springer said.
With that, supervisors have not yet approved the refund.
A representative of the trust could not be reached Thursday for comment. It's not know if the state has repaid its portion.
CCI purchased the 73-acre property along Route 487 for $3.85 million. Great Dane Trailers is a well-known manufacturer that has made a number of acquisitions nationwide since celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2000.
When Fleetwood closed its plant in 2008, 325 people were left without a job.
Polar Tech purchased another part of the Fleetwood complex in September 2011. The Illinois-based company paid $999,000 for 49.786 acres and a 211,229-square-foot building. The Chicago-based firm, founded in 1984, fabricates temperature-sensitive insulated packaging and shipping products and refrigerants for the food and science industry, and at last report in August was employing about 55 people.