Aspinwall residents will pay more in property taxes; surplus dedicated to infrastructure

Aspinwall council voted to increase property taxes this year in hopes of investing in borough infrastructure, leaders said.

Council approved the $2.6 million budget, raising the tax rate from 5.86 to 6.86 mills. The owner of home assessed at $100,000 will pay $686, an extra $100 over 2018.

“It was increased due to investing in (roads, sewers) and buildings,” Manager Melissa Lang said.

At least $100,000 is slated for road work, with particular attention paid to Delafield Road. That stretch was a flooding nightmare after last summer’s heavy storms.

The borough’s pubic works department spent days cleaning catch basins and sewers, and shoveling debris from Delafield Road to help alleviate the water. A section of the road near the Route 28 on-ramp crumbled under the pressure and will be targeted for replacement during this summer’s road paving program.

Lang said the new budget also includes a significant increase in the borough’s contribution to Foxwall EMS, whose leaders just about a year ago said service would suffer if donations weren’t increased.

Council voted to give $25,000 in tax dollars to Foxwall this year.

There is also $100,000 going toward a significant sewer project along Center Avenue, Lang said.

Work to separate sewers is scheduled to begin this year and cost $562,000, most of which will be paid for through a $477,000 ALCOSAN grant.

For a full look at the budget, visit the municipal office at 217 Commercial Ave.

Tawnya Panizzi is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tawnya at 412-782-2121, ext. 2, tpanizzi@tribweb.com or via Twitter @tawnyatrib.