Upper Burrell supervisors call for 20% real estate tax hike for 2022

After more than 16 years without a real estate tax increase, Upper Burrell supervisors have tentatively agreed to raise taxes by 20% next year.

If the tax increase is finalized in December, the average homeowner with a property assessed at $22,000 will pay $44 more in township real estate taxes next year.

The township’s revenue stream took a hit when it lost $39,000 this year and in future years because of a settlement on a property tax appeal filed by Arconic, formerly Alcoa, which is the largest property owner in the township. The Burrell School District also settled the appeal earlier this year.

The Arconic settlement accounted for 1 mill of the township’s proposed 2-mill tax hike, said Melissa Cortileso, township secretary. A mill brings in about $40,000 in tax revenue, she said.

Costs are up across the board, township officials said.

The township budget is roughly made up of expenses for roads, police and administration.

Health care insurance premiums surged by 8% for the township’s six full-time employees, Cortileso said. Those employees are two police officers, one administrator and three road workers.

With inflation, costs for road materials and other expenses are expected to continue to increase, township Supervisor Mike Conley said.

“Right now, we have to raise taxes,” he said.

Township supervisors are expected to vote on adoption of the final budget at their Dec. 1 meeting.

Officials refuse to hand out public information

Although Conley answered questions about the budget, Cortileso declined to provide a copy of the budget to a reporter at Wednesday’s meeting and the following morning at the township office. Cortileso said the reporter would have to file a Right-to-Know Law request.

Melissa Melewsky, an attorney with the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association in Harrisburg, said Thursday that the budget should have been made available to the reporter and the public.

“The minute a budget is presented, proposed and approved, the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know law dictates that a budget at that point is a public record and should be readily accessible,” Melewsky said.

Local governments and school districts should consider providing the public access to budgets on their websites or have them available at meetings “so the public can understand what is being proposed at a meeting and they can provide meaningful comment before decisions are made,” Melewsky said.

The 2022 budget will be available for residents to see at the Upper Burrell Municipal Building during weekday operations at 3735 Seventh Street Road.