Greensburg Salem pledges to stay within maximum 3.9-mill tax hike for 2022-23

A reorganized Greensburg Salem School Board has agreed to hold any potential tax increase it may consider next year to the a 3.9-mill maximum allowed by the state without special dispensation.

The pledge doesn’t mean, however, that real estate taxes will be increased for the 2022-23 school year, district officials said.

“This is just saying we will not go above that,” Superintendent Ken Bissell said of the board’s vote this week.

Mike Gigliotti, the district’s interim business manager, calculated that maximum millage increase based on a state-determined index of 4.4%. Under the terms of Pennsylvania’s Taxpayer Relief Act, Greensburg Salem is not required to publicly present a preliminary budget early next year as long as it agrees not to exceed the tax-hike ceiling.

The district held the line on property taxes, at 89.72 mills, under its current $48.1 million budget. The 2021-22 budget runs through June 30.

The board voted to draw from the general fund to pay off a bank loan totaling $760,000 in principle and nearly $2,900 in interest. According to the board’s new president, Jeff Metrosky, retiring that debt ahead of schedule will save the district $27,000.

Greensburg Salem made use of the state’s CoStars bidding program to buy two vehicles and a kitchen appliance. It will pay $59,084 to TriMark for a new high school dishwasher, $43,944 to Smail Commercial Center for a Ford F250 pickup truck and snow plow and $44,941 to Kenny Ross Ford for a high-roof cargo van.

Bissell noted completion of the last listed purchase depends “if this van actually comes in, with all the supply issues.”

The school board accepted donation of 36 laptops, 27 monitors and 52 charging stations from the Greensburg Social Security Office.

The board’s new vice president, Robin Savage, asked whether the district might be liable for recycling costs if the devices are “not usable or at end-of-life.” Bissell noted they could be recycled at a profit for the district.

During a reorganization session that preceded the regular board meeting, Metrosky and Savage were approved for their new leadership roles by 5-2 votes, with Lynn Jobe and Jonathon O’Brien opposed and Frank Gazze and newly elected school director Emily Miller absent.

“There are nine of us and we all have an equal say here at the table,” Metrosky said of the board members. “No one’s vote carries any more weight than the other votes.”

Metrosky, who had served as vice president, succeeds former president Ron Mellinger, who just finished his term on the board. Re-elected last month, Metrosky was sworn in to begin his third term. Also taking the oath of office were Jobe, an appointee who won election to her first full term, and the newly elected Heather Shearer. Miller will be sworn in later at the Westmoreland County Courthouse.

Retired from Woodland Hills School District, Gigliotti is serving on an interim basis until the board hires a new business manager. The board came to a stalemate in an attempt to do just that.

The board voted 4-3 to approve a proposed candidate for a five-year term as business manager, but Solicitor Lee Demosky noted such hirings require a five-member majority. Savage, Shearer and Brian Conway voted to table the matter since two school board members weren’t present.

Greensburg Salem renewed its agreement with Demosky’s law firm — Meyer Darragh — for legal services. The firm will receive a monthly retainer of $1,100 for routine matters and an hourly rate of $110 for other matters, including any litigation.

The Pennsylvania School Boards Association recognized Metrosky for his eight years of service as a Greensburg Salem school director and Steve Thomas for serving 40 years on the local board.