Greensburg officials plan to hold the line on taxes as part of a proposed 2023 budget totaling nearly $13 million.

It will mark the 15th consecutive year the city has avoided an increase in the tax rate supporting the general fund, according to Councilman Randy Finfrock.

He noted the city’s real estate tax rate of 26.05 mills includes an extra 1-mill tax that was assessed beginning this year to offset lost revenue from the city’s closed J. Edward Hutchinson Parking Garage. The aging garage, which was closed because of safety concerns, had generated about $139,000 annually for public safety spending.

An additional 1-mill tax on property in the city helps support the Greensburg Hempfield Area Library.

Finfrock noted the city has been affected by inflation, including the heightened price of fuel for police and public works vehicles.

But, he said, “We’re going to keep taxes level, and we’ll absorb those costs.

“This administration tends to take into consideration the citizens and the businesses in the city of Greensburg. We know that everybody has suffered, so the last thing we want to do is raise taxes on our constituents.”

Finfrock said some user fees charged by the city, including rates charged for leased parking, “will go up a little bit, nothing dramatic. The worst-case scenario is that our user fees will match the rates in the private sector. In most cases, they will actually be considerably less.”

A monthly parking lease is proposed to increase by $10, to $75, for most spaces, while the annual rate would rise by $20, to $900.

Among planning and zoning fees, the rate for a residential site plan review would increase by $75, to $200. The fee for a commercial site plan review or for a subdivision review would jump from $550 to $1,000.

The proposed 2023 city budget totals $12,960,000, reflecting an increase of about $25,000 from the current year’s spending plan, Finfrock said.

Planned expenditures for the coming year include $89,000 to replace the roof on Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department’s Hose Company No. 7 station and $40,000 to hire two part-time code enforcement officers.

Finfrock said the city also plans to purchase two public works vehicles and will invest in recreation projects — including an overall renovation of Spring Avenue Park and updates of playground equipment at several other sites.

Payroll spending will include raises for nonunion employees that match what other city workers will receive under respective contracts. Members of Teamsters Local 30 are getting a 6% hike in the first year of a recently approved five-year contract, followed by 3% in each of the following two years and 3.5% in each of the final two years.

Members of the police union are receiving annual pay increases of 2% through 2026. The proposed 2023 budget will be available to view at city hall before council votes on the final version in December.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)