The next step in the case to decide the future of Conneaut Lake Park is about to begin.
Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Jeffrey Deller will conduct a hearing Tuesday to consider a request by attorneys for Conneaut Lake Park for an extension to provide a detailed accounting of all of the park’s debts. George Snyder, attorney for Conneaut Lake Park, has requested the deadline to file those records be extended to Jan. 30.
According to the Erie Times-News, Snyder is also considering challenging the tax liens currently in place against the park that have been filed by Crawford County, the Conneaut Lake School District, Sadsbury Township and Summit Township. Those liens total more than $927,000 of unpaid real estate taxes from 1996 through 2013.
Snyder considers the taxes to be “disputed” in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing because Conneaut Lake Park has been a non-profit corporation since 1997.
However, Lawrence Bolla, the attorney for the taxing agencies, insists that Conneaut Lake Park has never been classified as a tax exempt entity and cannot argue it has been exempt from real estate taxes since 1996.
Bolla told the Times-News the park can request an exemption from future property tax payments but it would not be retroactive to 1996.
The Conneaut Lake School District is owed the largest amount of taxes, totaling $636,000.