Tarentum taxes expected to remain steady

Tarentum residents likely will pay the same amount in real estate taxes next year thanks to council’s approval of a tentative budget.

The $15 million plan maintains the property tax rate of 5.84 mills, the same as it has been for nearly two decades.

If approved, the owner of a home assessed at $100,000 will again pay $584.

Council is scheduled to discuss the proposed budget during a meeting Nov. 15 and is expected to take a final vote Dec. 12.

“The 2023 budget prioritizes the maintenance of infrastructure and upgrades to borough facilities,” Manager Dwight Boddorf said.

“In determining which projects to undertake, we had to balance several competing interests.”

To supplement borough revenues impacted by rising material costs, health insurance and energy costs, council is expected to increase the earned income tax by 0.5%, to 1%.

“That increase only impacts working adults and is a more equitable way to offset some financial shortcomings rather than raising real estate millage,” Boddorf said.

“We are not immune to rising costs. Costs for chemicals at the water plant have almost doubled in the last two years.”

Other expenses expected next year include $1.4 million for police, $104,000 for fire service and $692,000 for public works.

There is no rate increase expected for residents of Red Cat Power, the borough’s electric company.

Boddorf said the budget is higher than in previous years thanks to proceeds of a 2022 bond refinancing. The extra income will allow the borough to pay for several projects that otherwise wouldn’t be possible, he said.

Some of the work includes installation of a million-gallon tank at the water plant and multiple purchases of water-treatment equipment to replace current equipment that is near-failing.

The new water tank is expected to stabilize pressure across the borough, Boddorf said. People who live on the hill have trouble with low pressure when the current equipment drops to a certain threshold, he said.

Residents can look forward to several capital improvement projects in 2023. They include paving First Avenue, repairing the park fountain and continuing the borough’s multiyear demolition projects.

“One of the things I heard over and over was that, if possible, we need to buy a new bucket truck,” Boddorf said. “The one we have is in bad shape, so we’re going to want to get that ordered.”

Boddorf said the wait time on the new vehicle is 33 months.