Higher school taxes likely coming to Mt. Lebanon
The Mt. Lebanon school board will vote on a preliminary budget at its Jan. 19 meeting, in order to preserve its ability to raise taxes in excess of Act 1 limitations.
This rough budget totals approximately $91.9 million. It uses $750,000 of fund balance and employs a .66 mill tax increase.
Act 1 of 2006 limits Pennsylvania school districts’ power to raise taxes to an inflationary index. In order to exceed that index, districts must apply for exceptions. To be eligible for exceptions in the 2015-2016 budget year, the Mt. Lebanon school board must approve a preliminary budget before February 18, 2015.
According to information presented at the Jan. 12 school board meeting, the Act 1 Index would allow only a .44 mill tax increase.
School board president Lawrence Lebowitz stressed that the preliminary budget does not commit the board to any specific budget decisions. “This is the smart thing to do to preserve our flexibility,” he said.
Uncertainty is a perennial issue in the district’s budget process. Proposed state funding, staffing numbers, student enrollment and retirement information often remain unknown until well after preliminary budgets are due.