South Fayette approves township budget with small tax increase
South Fayette property owners will see a slight increase in their municipal taxes next year.
The township commissioners unanimously approved the budget for 2018 with a .25 millage increase during their Dec. 13 voting meeting.
The increase raises the property tax rate from 4.48 to 4.73, meaning for every $100,000 in assessed property value, a property owner will now pay $473 to the township — up $25 from the last two years. The general operating budget for 2018 is projected to be $11.6 million, which is a $789,000 increase from last year.
The millage increase is projected to provide an extra $528,000 for the township, which township Manager Ryan Eggleston said during a public hearing last month, is mostly to cover the police department adding two full-time officers, since the department is transferring one police officer to a full-time detective assignment in 2018. The two additional police officers would cost the township an extra $360,000 a year.
The budget also accounts for a health insurance increase of 13 percent, since the additional police officers will put the township over 50 employees, making it a “large employer” under the Affordable Care Act. The board will also increase funding for the township’s library by 10 percent to $138,000.
Also during the meeting, police Chief John Phoennik introduced the department’s new bloodhound dog to the board. The township held a dog-naming contest on its website, and the winning submission was “Ellie.”
The scent-tracking dog’s handler is Sgt. Mike Wesolek. Ellie will begin with the department next year.
The board also discussed a new traffic calming policy during the meeting. The policy seeks to define a system for residents to suggest traffic improvements and the requirements to trigger township response.
The proposed policy originally required a petition to have at least 20 names of residents from the “immediate vicinity,” while petitions with fewer than 20 names may be considered if the area has fewer than 20 homes.
Commissioner Lisa Malosh thought the requirement was too arbitrary, and the board agreed to table the vote to next month’s meeting.