Greensburg Salem votes to keep any tax increase below state limit

In a ritual that marks the beginning of budget season, the Greensburg Salem School Board voted unanimously Wednesday to keep any tax increase for 2019 to the limit set by the state.

This limit, established by the state’s Act 1 Index, prevents the board from raising taxes more than 2.72 mills.

School boards have the option to circumvent the limit, but doing so is rare, and involves navigating numerous regulatory obstacles.

If the board wanted to raise taxes by more than 2.72 mills it would need to have a preliminary budget ready for inspection this month, instead of the usual date in April.

Just because the board can raise taxes by 2.72 mills doesn’t mean it will. Last year, the board agreed to stay beneath a 2.82-mill limit, but in the end it didn’t raise taxes at all.

District property taxes are now 88.22 mills, and cost the average district property owner about $1,455 a year.

The district has raised taxes 16 times in the last 18 years to combat rapidly rising pension costs.

Jacob Tierney is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jacob at 724-836-6646, jtierney@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Soolseem.