NESHANNOCK TOWNSHIP Residents face '04 tax increase

The public can inspect the budget at the township's temporary office.
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Neshannock Township residents will see a tax increase in 2004.
Township supervisors proposed the 2004 budget of about $15 million during Wednesday night's meeting.
It calls for a 0.17-mill tax increase along with an additional 0.16-mill debt service tax. The total general budget will be 0.87 mills and the fire tax will remain at 0.42 mills.
The debt service tax was required because of the $4 million bond issue the township borrowed earlier this year to fund a new municipal building and an expansion at Hess Ice Complex. An additional $4 million bond was borrowed for sewer expansion.
This is the second-largest improvement the township has ever done, said Chairman Gale Measel, referring to the building and sewer expansion projects.
Measel said the largest project was the initial sewer project in the late 1970s, costing the township $10 million to $13 million.
Could've been bigger
According to township secretary Leslie Bucci, the debt service tax is not as large as it could have been. The township was able to borrow $150,000 from a certificate of deposit that will expire June 24, 2006, without any penalty fees. She said that if the full amount were withdrawn, a $15,000 penalty would have been applied.
Bucci commented that insurance has increased 35 percent, road and clerical employee contracts increased 3 percent and the police contract will increase 3.5 percent in 2004.
The budget will be available for public inspection at the township's temporary office in Field Club Commons for the next 20 days.
In other business, the supervisors agreed to join with the Neshannock School District to contract with Sharp Collection Agency to collect delinquent taxes. Supervisor John DiCola Jr. said the agency does not charge a fee, but requests 20 percent of the money collected. The school district has not yet voted on the contract.