MAHONING TOWNSHIP, PA. Supervisors approve budget with tax rise
The total increase will amount to $67 a year on a $100,000 home.
By MARY GRZEBIENIAK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
HILLSVILLE, Pa. -- Mahoning Township residents will see township taxes rise 0.67 mills in 2004 to pay for start-up of a police department and to help make up for a bad fund-raising year for the fire department.
Supervisors unanimously adopted the $862,776 budget Friday, a substantial increase over the current budget of $518,046. The increase is inflated by anticipated receipt of federal disaster funds expected for last summer's storm damage as well as pass-through funds for waterline construction.
Treasurer Gil Lucarelli said the breakdown of the millage increase includes a property tax increase of 0.52 mills, bringing the new general fund total to 1.925 mills.
The fire equipment millage will increase 0.15 mills to 0.485 mills. The total combined millage increase will amount to $6.70 a year on $10,000 worth of assessed property value, or $67 a year on a $100,000 home.
Police department
The property tax increase will generate the $53,069 needed to run Mahoning's part of a joint police department township supervisors intend to establish with Pulaski Township. Supervisor Chairman Poncho Exposito said Friday that any fines resulting from citations issued from police have not been included in the budget.
The increased millage for the fire department will bring in the $15,182 needed to pay insurance premiums. Exposito, who is also township fire chief, said that while the department usually earns enough to pay the insurance by doing several fund-raisers, this year fund-raising revenue was down. The annual car show was rained out, and several dinners were poorly attended because of storms.
Supervisors also set the hydrant tax at 13 cents per foot of frontage, a 2-cent reduction because of a readjustment of hydrant costs.
Taxes that will remain the same include a $10 annual occupation privilege tax for anyone who works in the township unless they pay it to another district, and the streetlight tax, which remains at 32 cents on improved footage and 8 cents on unimproved footage.