Taxes Could Go Down for Many Dormont Residents

Monday’s Dormont Council meeting agenda includes a vote on the borough’s 2013 budget—and the budget includes a lower property tax millage rate for residents.

Council plans to lower the tax rate from 14 mills to 9.1 mills. This means that for most residents, taxes are going down—taxes on a $100,000 house would fall from $1,400 to $910.

The adjustment accounts for higher assessment rates on borough properties. As a result of Allegheny County’s reassessment process, assessed property values in Dormont went up about 52 percent.

After real estate reassessments are done, municipalities are required by the state to adjust millage rates so that there is not higher than a 5 percent increase in tax revenues. However, Dormont’s revenue increase will be only 1.85 percent.

Borough manager Jeff Naftal said there was no reason to require residents to pay a higher-than-necessary tax rate. The revenue increase adjusted for will allow the borough to fund a number of other budget items, including the addition of one new police officer, one new street department employee, one new parks department employee, and the new positions of clerk supervisor, code enforcement officer and borough engineer.

The budget also includes a road program for 2013 that will allow for the complete reconstruction on one road, the resurfacing of nine other roads, and work on two or three alleys.

Funding also will be provided for a sanitary sewer and maintenance program, specialized engineering services and traffic calming.

Budget documents are attached to this article as PDF documents. One of those documents is a list of suggested capital improvements. Although the list includes everything suggested, only some of those items will be selected to pursue in 2013.

Dormont Council will meet Monday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. at Dormont Municipal Center for its regular meeting.

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