Bethel Park residents to see small tax increase in 2026

Municipal taxes are rising in Bethel Park.

Accompanying the 2026 budget, as adopted by council on Nov. 10, is a .6-mill increase in the real estate tax rate, from 3.19 to 3.79 mills. Including the .34 mills dedicated to fire protection, the total for next year is 4.13 mills.

The new figure means property owners will pay $60 more per $100,000 of assessed value.

In addition, council approved increasing the municipal share of the local earned income tax to 1.25%, up from 1%. Bethel Park School District collects .5% of earned income.

Council President John Oakes attributed the necessity for the tax increases to rising costs in areas including contracted trash removal and salary agreements, insurance premiums and continuing maintenance of local infrastructure.

On the revenue side, the municipality faces challenges to the values of commercial properties through common-level ratio appeals. Allegheny County’s ratio is 50.14, meaning a property with a current market value of $100,000 could end up being valued at a minimum of $50,140 for assessment purposes.

Council member Joseph Consolmagno cast the lone vote against the budget, new tax rates and an ordinance fixing municipal salaries, saying he hadn’t seen the latter before the Nov. 10 meeting.

General expenses in the budget total $25.7 million, of which 40% goes to salaries and wages, and 14.7% to employee benefits, according to the document for the spending plan available on the municipal website.

By department, 29% is earmarked for public safety, 14% for public works, 12% for sanitation, 8% for administration and 7% for community amenities, mainly involving maintenance of outdoor features such as the municipal splash pad, pickleball courts and park system.

The capital projects fund, for investment in long-lasting assets, totals $6.9 million for 2026, including $2.3 million designated for the annual road program, $700,000 for storm-sewer improvements and $486,600 for an upgrade of the traffic signals at Bethel Church and Fort Couch roads.

Improvements to the intersection of Route 88 and Kings School Road are budgeted at $480,000. Because the project is related to the nearby Bethel Park Elementary Center, which is scheduled to open in August, the school district will reimburse the municipality for the cost, Oakes said.

An upgrade at the intersections of Hamilton and Baptist roads is budgeted at $1.55 million, about $1 million of which is covered by a state Department of Transportation Automated Red Light Enforcement grant.

Municipal revenues for 2026 are projected at slightly more than $33.5 million, representing an 18.7% increase over 2025, with real estate taxes bringing in nearly $9.5 million and enabling taxes, the bulk of which are on earned income and net profit, $19.3 million.

The municipality will have an estimated reserve of about $5.5 million by year’s end.

Kim Kamenicky, who chairs council’s general policy and finance committee, said she and Oakes met frequently to address the 2026 budget. Two meetings open to the public specifically addressed the spending plan.

“We went through the operational budget line by line, looking for areas where we could save or shift funds. And just like many of you are seeing at home, costs are going up,” she said. “We decided that we needed to do a modest tax increase, and it’s not something any of us take lightly. It’s not something we want to do, but we believe it’s necessary to make sure Bethel Park moves forward and continues to move forward.”