Bethel Park School District taxes going up
Property taxes will likely go up in the Bethel Park School District, but at a lower rate than school officials initially anticipated.
The school board is set to adopt a $82.8 million budget May 26 that raises the tax rate by .4487 mills. Under the new rate of 22.8763 mills, the owner of a $100,000 house will pay an additional $44.87 per year.
Early in the budget process, school officials thought the tax increase might be higher, since the district applied for referendum exceptions, a necessary step if the board had to raise taxes above the index of .53 mills, which is set through a state law known as Act 1. The proposed tax increase is below that index.
The law limits school boards’ ability to raise taxes above the index and if a board needs a higher tax increase, it has to either apply for exceptions or seek approval through voter referendum.
When the budget making process began in January, the school board passed a $84.1 million tentative budget, but after several revisions, district officials trimmed the budget to $82.8 million, which is still 4.89 percent larger than the 2014-15 spending plan.
Matt Howard, assistant to the superintendent, said none of the cuts are particularly dramatic; instead, he examined every department and made many small cuts to reduce the budget.
About 75 percent of the district’s budget is spent on salaries and benefits. Debt service payments and purchased services each consume about 10 percent of the budget, respectively. The district also spends four percent on supplies and one percent on equipment.
Property taxes make up over 62 percent of Bethel Park’s revenue and the tax increase will generate an additional $1.1 million for the district.