In a letter to Allegheny County assessment officials, U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum has acted to close a long-running political soap opera over whether he does or doesn't live in his house in Penn Hills.

Mr. Santorum formally asked that the county remove the homestead tax exemption from his Penn Hills residence. He said that he had made similar requests to county officials in conversations in 2005 and earlier this year, but to no avail.

The letter was sent in anticipation of a County Council effort initiated by council President Rich Fitzgerald to increase the scrutiny over homestead exemption requests. For county tax purposes, that exemption excludes $15,000 from the assessed market value of an owner-occupied primary residence.

Last night, County Council voted overwhelmingly in favor of legislation calling for strengthened oversight -- and in some cases prosecution -- of property owners who improperly claim a "homestead exemption."

The ordinance was approved in a 14-1 vote last night, with Councilman Richard Nerone, D-Brookline, voting no.

The issue has been a sore spot for the senator because of efforts by political opponents to point out that he spends much of the year in Washington's Virginia suburbs rather than in the Penn Hills residence, and because of an overlapping controversy over whether the Penn Hills School District should have been forced to make cyberschool tuition payments on behalf of the senators' children.

That dispute was recently settled with a $55,000 reimbursement from the state Education Department to the school district.

In his letter, Mr. Santorum insists that he is entitled to the exemption, which is worth about $70 annually, but chooses not to take advantage of it because of the political dispute. Mr. Santorum notes that the ordinance may have political overtones, but says "as a resident of Allegheny County, I hope it passes."

He reiterates his contention that "My home in Penn Hills is my only residence in Pennsylvania and has always been my primary residence or domicile."

The senator had already verbally requested that his name be removed from the exemption list, but Mr. Fitzgerald, a Democrat, asked recently that Santorum submit the request in writing.

Allegheny County's property assessment Web site was updated to reflect the change Friday, said Ashley Henry, deputy chief of staff to Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato. But she said the county's Office of Property Assessments could have received Mr. Santorum's request up to two weeks earlier because the site is only updated twice a month.