Westmoreland County commissioners approve 32 percent property tax increase
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A tax hike on property owners in Westmoreland County was passed unanimously by the three commissioners.
While the commissioners acknowledged the tax will be painful for many residents, particularly seniors and people on fixed incomes, they said it was inevitable. The two Republicans and one Democrat approved two separate millage increases totaling almost seven mills, about a 32 percent increase over current tax rates.
For the average homeowner, "the monthly is $10.55 per month, and the overall 12-month period is $126.61 that residents will pay extra," Westmoreland County Commissioner Sean Kertes said.
One of those property tax increases will go to the general fund while the other will pay down debt.
"That tax, when the debt service is done, will disappear," Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew said. "That will return to zero."
All three commissioners say between several years of high inflation and the last significant tax increase happening in 2005, they had to make this difficult decision.
"This is not a vote we wanted to do," Kertes said. "But what we had to do to provide the services needed for Westmoreland County."
The commissioners say the increase would have come sooner had the county not had more than $100 million in federal COVID-19 funds to plug the holes.
"Taxes could have been increased in 2019 or 2020. We were just living on borrowed time," Kertes said.
Of the $456 million budget, $25 million is money from the American Rescue Plan, which has to be spent by the end of 2024. The projected revenue from tax increases is $28 million a year.
Some people who live in Westmoreland County said everyone is feeling the same pinch.
"Inflation's impacting every segment of life, to include material costs and the things we buy, and that trickles down to the things the county's going to have to pay for, whether it's people or materials or whatever they're doing," Dana Smith of Westmoreland County said.
"My landlord raised my rent so they must have known something was coming," Stephen Burkliowski said.
The tax increase goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2024.
"This is a hard vote once again for our residents, but this is how government is supposed to work, bipartisan efforts working for the people," Kertes said.
The commissioners say they looked for other ways to increase revenue, including asset sales and even selling naming rights. But they ultimately concluded they had no alternative and said their offices stand ready to help people who have questions about how it will affect them in the new year.
