Nov 3, 2014 By David Singer 2 min read

The Mt. Lebanon manager’s recommended $47.1 million budget for 2015 to be voted on Dec. 9 doesn’t raise property taxes, the earned income tax rate or municipal fees for sanitary and storm water management.

“This is very much a ‘current level of services’ budget. We’re maintaining while making some capital improvements, but none of those are huge-ticket items,” manager Steve Feller said. His budget recommended adding one managerial employee in public works’ parks and recreation department.

Notable items under capital improvements include $2.1 million for one mile of road reconstruction; three replacement police cars and equipment ($117,540), an animal control vehicle ($29,500); the installation of a dehumidification system in the studio ice rink ($150,000), sanding and painting beams in the rink ($57,750), and replacing all remaining Victaulic fittings in the recreation center’s heating system ($70,000).

“The rec center is 39 years old, and these improvements are necessary to see it go on for another 39 years,” Feller said, “and it’s good that, 10 years ago, recreation (expenditures) had us at $500,000. Now we’re at the point this year where we’re making $175,000 in revenues from that department.”

“The earned income tax allows us to hold the line on taxes otherwise, because real estate revenues are flat due to a hold on reassessments,” finance director Andrew McCreery said, “and the (EIT) will start matching inflation levels in 2016.”

Increased expenses included road salt going up 38 percent, or, an increase of $149,000. The budget also includes $68,000 set aside for future implementation of a deer management program in 2015.

A public hearing on the budget will be held Nov. 11. Budget review sessions are Nov. 4 and 13, televised on Comcast channel 17 and Verizon channel 34 the following days and streamed at www.mtlebanon.org.