Murrysville proposes '25 budget with no tax hike

Murrysville council will consider a 2025 budget that does not call for a tax increase.

The municipality’s $17.28 million budget includes $3.8 million in capital spending. Capital projects for next year will include grant-supported bridge work along with $100,000 for new police equipment and vehicles and the replacement of HVAC units at the municipal building.

Millage will remain at its current 12.05 mills.

Murrysville Finance Director Jacie Milchak said next year’s budget will reduce the estimated value of a mill to $338,000.

“Historically we saw an income growth here at about 1% annually,” Milchak said at the annual public hearing for the new budget. “But over the past two years, it’s averaged about 0.41%. To avoid overestimating revenues going forward, this reflects things more accurately.”

The millage breakdown is as follows:

• 5.3 mills go into the general fund

• 3.2 mills go into the capital reserve for larger projects

• 1.2 mills go into municipal debt service on borrowed money

• 1 mill goes to the Murrysville Community Library

• 1.35 mills goes into the emergency equipment fund

• 0.1 mills go toward hydrant maintenance

Some other updates to the budget include a new $28,000 position in the finance department, $8,000 for recreation programs that were eliminated from the 2024 budget, and $10,000 in additional legal fees related to tax assessment appeals.

“We didn’t anticipate that there’d be quite as many appeals as we saw,” Milchak said.

Council President Dayne Dice said it’s difficult to predict property tax appeal numbers.

“As we go into next year’s budget we’re adjusting for that,” Murrysville Chief Administrator Michael Nestico said. “This was also our first full year with our new solicitor, so there was a bit of a feeling-out period to see how things would go.”

The budget will go back on council’s agenda for a final vote in December.