Nov 12, 2018 By Harry Funk staff Writer hfunk@thealmanac.Net 3 min read

While taxes continue to be half of Ben Franklin’s axiom for certainty, they don’t look to rise next year on the municipal side in Mt. Lebanon.

That goes for the real estate tax rate, which is proposed to remain at 4.71 mills, according to the recommended 2019 budget submitted by municipal manager Keith McGill. The earned income tax rate and real estate transfer tax rate will stay the same, as will fees for management of stormwater and sanitary sewers.

The recommended operating budget for Allegheny County’s third-largest municipality by population totals $33.5 million, with expenditures that actually amount to about $100,000 less than the current year.

“In local government, everything we do here, we do with other people’s money, essentially,” McGill said. “And the commission is very conscious of that, as are the department heads and staff office chiefs. They’re all very good at staying within budget, not making requests for items that I will say are nonessential to the delivery of services.”

The 2019 budget features some spending with an eye toward the future, including $20,000 for an employee compensation study, in partnership with Upper St. Clair and Cranberry. Mt. Lebanon’s last such examination was in 1999.

McGill points out in his budget message that 63 percent of operating expenditures are dedicated to personnel costs, and the goal is to ensure the municipality is providing appropriate salaries based on current market conditions.

“We are at an age, from a workforce standpoint, that we have begun to transfer individuals out and bring new individuals in,” he said. “I think it’s fiscally irresponsible for us to continue to do that without actually having a current market study to tell us where certain positions belong in terms of market compensation.”

While he recommends no increase in the number of full-time employees for 2019, McGill does call for an additional part-time position within the inspections department, at a cost of $31,420.

The department faces additional responsibilities with a pending ordinance that will require point-of-sale testing of private laterals. The state Department of Environmental Protection could require such a measure in all Pennsylvania municipalities as part of its next consent decree, which is expected to be in place by early 2019.

Also, Mt. Lebanon requires lateral testing in conjunction with building permits that require a plumbing permit from Allegheny County.

“The goal of both of those is to try to remove as much storm water out of the sanitary as we can, because that’s been the direction coming from Alcosan,” McGill said about the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority, which provides wastewater treatment services to Mt. Lebanon and 82 other municipalities.

His budget message for 2019 includes some forecasts for 2020, including the possibility of embarking on several capital projects: roof and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system replacement at Mt. Lebanon Public Library; roof and concrete replacement at the recreation center; HVAC system replacement at the Municipal Building; and the renovation of the existing public works building,

Depending on the projects selected to move forward and outside grants received, a bond issue of between $3.5 million and $4.5 million could be necessary, according to McGill.

Another potential project involves public-space improvements along Washington Road.

“The sidewalks and the lighting have essentially reached the end of their useful lives,” McGill said. “We’ve made several applications for grant funding to try to offset some of the costs.”

Grants totaling $290,000 have been secured so far, he said, and another is pending.

For more information about the 2019 Manager’s Recommended Budget, visit mtlebanon.org.