Taxes for folks with property in the Altoona Area School District could be going up in the next fiscal year, but instead of increasing by a specific millage, the increase would be based on the state’s Act 1 index, which allows the school district to increase property taxes by up to 4.3%. Under that scenerio, the tax hike would be $40.57 for a property valued at $150,000. The increase is necessary according to officials, because of the drastic shutdowns ordered by Governor Wolf since March of 2020. In fact, the state itself is now projecting that it will take as long as 6 years for Pennsylvania school districts to recover the revenue lost as a result of business closures, job losses and downsizing. That they say, leaves real estate tax now as the only option to increase revenue.