Fox Chapel property owners will no longer have to pay additional property taxes or garbage collection fees in 2024.
Congress adopted the 2024 budget by a 6-0 vote last month, voting to keep the tax rate at 2.95 million.
City Councilman Thomas Carrett was absent.
The district hasn’t raised property taxes in at least five years.
Projected revenues and expenses are both just under $9 million, with a projected surplus of $5,800 at the end of the year.
Projected revenues include approximately $3.6 million in real estate taxes, $4 million in Act 411 taxes, including earned income taxes, $168,000 in state shared revenue and entitlements, $140,000 in business licenses and permits, and community property district sales taxes. is $118,000, interest income is $83,000, and service fees are $12,500.
The proposed spending includes approximately $1.6 million for paving, $2.27 million for public safety, $1 million for general government including salaries and supplies, $884,600 for sanitation, $653,000 for recreation and libraries, About $3.1 million is included in public works projects, including $321,000 in debt service and $117,000 in insurance. He receives $2,000 from Health and Human Services.
Budget highlights include $344,000 for capital improvements such as new trucks for the public works department, hoses for the fire department, computer servers and building maintenance equipment.
City Council Vice President Harrison Lauer said maintaining services and programs despite rising costs and inflation is the result of the hard work of Borough President Gary Koehler and his management team.
“We have good district management and have managed our finances very efficiently using our ability to contain costs,” Lauer said. “They did a great job.”
Lauer also said the administration is investing a portion of the borough’s estimated $15 million in cash reserves in certificates of deposit (bank CDs), including $2.5 million in six-month CDs with a 5% interest rate; He pointed to $7.7 million in one-year CDs with an interest rate of 4.85%. % interest rate.
The district also benefited from a recent windfall of $91,000 in earned income tax payments. This could result in a surplus of around $100,000 at the end of 2023. These numbers have not yet been finalized.
The Legislature appropriated $100,000 for the 2024 Comprehensive Joint Plan Recommendation.
The District worked with the City of O’Hara to develop a long-term plan that addresses traffic congestion and transportation opportunities, among other things. The goal is to improve the quality of life for residents.
Consultants Pašek+MTR compiled the results of a survey completed by more than 1,300 residents. According to the survey results, people were interested in improvements to safety, more walking and cycling routes, speed enforcement, improved public transport and flood prevention.
provocation
Vogel Disposal Services is Fox Chapel’s garbage collector.
Koehler said Vogel bills the borough and the cost of trash collection is paid for through tax dollars, not private billing.
Garbage collection bills in 2024 are projected to be $910,200, about $10,000 more than this year. No additional costs are passed on to the property owner.
“I think it’s good news,” Koehler said of the budget. “The district is in good financial shape. We are preparing for the future.”
One of the ways Fox Chapel is preparing for the future is by launching a waste task force.
It is expected to be operational from next year after consultation with residents and businesses about garbage collection and recycling options.
The current garbage contract allows for unlimited weekly collection. The expiry date is the end of 2025.
Koehler said he would like to solicit bids at least six months in advance.
“We want to have as much information as possible so we don’t put out a bid and end up with huge costs or no bidders at all,” the manager said. “There is a process. Change cannot happen overnight. We need to understand the entire process and industry dynamics to see if there are viable options going forward.”
Michael DiVittorio is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Contact Michael at 412-871-2367, mdivittorio@triblive.com or on Twitter. .