Proposed Lower Burrell budget has no tax increase, more money for firefighters

Lower Burrell’s proposed budget for 2024 includes no property tax increase for city residents and landowners.

And, thanks to royalties from gas drilling at Burrell Lake Park, the city intends to provide additional funding to its volunteer fire departments.

“What I’m going to propose today is that we got some good news, literally this month, and that is, for the first time, we got a payment on the Burrell Lake Park gas royalties. We’ve never been paid on that before,” said Councilman Chris Fabry during a budget meeting Wednesday. “That new source of money that didn’t exist until this month is going to come in to the tune of, we’re estimating, $60,000 per year.”

“So my proposal to council is … we earmark that set of money to our first responders, to our fire departments.”

In August, the city’s fire departments requested council allot an additional $25,000 for each department, as well as a 5% increase in annual funding to combat inflation.

The departments also sought the city to disburse the annual $30,000 capital fund allocation to the departments where funds would be used for vehicle payments or purchases.

Acknowledging that the gas well can’t drill forever, Fabry said state Rep. Abby Major, R-Leechburg, plans to introduce a bill that would authorize Third-Class cities to have the opportunity to levy an emergency services tax.

Major said townships and boroughs already have the ability to levy an annual tax to support emergency services but Third Class cities do not. She is introducing the legislation at Lower Burrell’s request.

If approved, the legislation would allow Third Class cities to levy an annual tax not to exceed half a mill. A half-mill in Lower Burrell is $60,000, Fabry said.

“This is a way for us to fill a request of yours that’s long overdue and also a little bit more, too, and hopefully help you out and solve some issues,” Fabry said of the firefighters.

Other council members agreed.

“With the caveat of long-term solutions in our heads, I see it as a win-win situation,” Mayor John Andrejcik said.

Budget details

The proposal, drafted by the city’s manager, Greg Primm, maintains the millage rate at 24.75 mills.

Primm said the budget totals slightly under $11.2 million , which is an increase of less than a 1% from this year. That includes about $7.16 million in the general fund, $3.6 million in the sewer fund and about $375,000 in liquid fuels.

A home in Lower Burrell assessed at $20,389 would pay $504 for city taxes at 24.75 mills, Primm said.

Of the budget proposal, $2.5 million is allotted for the Public Affairs Department; less than $2.4 million for Accounts and Finance , about $600,000 for Public Safety; about $815,000 for Streets and Public Works, and about $830,000 for the Parks Department.

“Just because it says ‘Department of Public Safety,’ there’s other things in there that you would not consider public safety. Like, for example, code enforcement is under Department of Public Safety. So you’ll see the line items in there might not make sense to you, but they do make sense how they lay out because as it relates to the Chart of Accounts in the state of Pennsylvania,” Primm said.

In Public Safety, the proposal includes a $105,000 contractual obligation with city fire departments and $90,000 in additional fire department support, which includes the previous escrow and gas royalty money, and $88,000 to support the city’s ambulance service.

Other highlights include $90,000 budgeted for stormwater projects, catch basin replacement and MS4 compliance; $20,000 for street repairs; $200,000 for paving and seal-coat projects; and $175,000 for salt and winter maintenance.

Also included is $276,000 for city recycling and $65,000 for a pickleball court at Veterans Park.

City officials anticipate passing the budget Dec. 11.