Fox Chapel's 2025 budget includes big investments in public safety

Fox Chapel property owners will not have to pay more in borough real estate taxes as part of its 2025 budget.

Council unanimously voted Dec. 16 to pass the spending plan and maintain the millage rate at 2.95 mills.

The borough has not raised taxes since 2019.

No programs or services were cut.

Projected revenues were listed at $10,510,300 and expenses at $10,464,900, netting a $45,400 surplus.

Expected income includes about $4.5 million in Act 511 taxes including earned income and local enabling taxes, $3.575 million in real estate taxes, $556,200 in state capital and operating grants, $401,200 in other taxes, $372,800 for public safety charges, $319,000 in interfund operating transfers, $259,800 in interest and rents, $157,000 in business licenses and permits and $5,200 in fines.

Expected spending includes $2.738 million for police; $1.721 million for roads and streets; $1.53 million for other public works projects; $1.198 million in interfund operating transfers; $1.172 million for general government including salaries, benefits and supplies; $943,400 for sanitation; $558,900 for recreation and library contributions; $320,800 for debt service; and $122,900 for insurances.

Borough Manager Gary Koehler said the budget numbers did not change since its preliminary draft was advertised in November.

“I think that the staff did a great job in reviewing all the items from the past year and making sure we were on track,” Koehler said. “The borough uses a zero-based budgeting strategy, which is a key to how we do things.

“We start at the bottom and reconstruct what our needs are to determine what our budget’s going to be versus simply adding an inflation rate to the amount of money we spent last year in any given category. That takes a lot of effort on staff’s part, but that’s the correct way to do things.”

Borough officials said some of the factors that minimized the need to raise taxes were annual surpluses the past few years and an uptick in earned income taxes.

“Good fiscal responsibility by the borough staff, strong revenue with the EIT and good overall management,” council President Andrew Bennett said.

Council Vice President Harrison Lauer echoed those comments and highlighted borough Treasurer Jeanine Mancuso’s budgetary contributions.

“Our finance director did a wonderful job organizing and preparing the budget and making our job much easier in reviewing and approving it,” Lauer said.

Investments

Borough documents indicate significant investments in public safety.

Some of the highlights include $550,000 in capital purchases, including new ballistic vests for the police department, new fire hose and a rescue truck, and a 10-ton dump truck, material handler conveyor, backhoe and trailer for public works.

The rescue truck is expected to be received in early 2026.

Fox Chapel and Aspinwall also boosted their contributions to Foxwall EMS.

Ambulance company officials had requested $60,000 and $40,000, respectively, from the communities they serve.

The boroughs had allocated about $54,000 and $41,000, respectively, for Foxwall EMS in their 2024 budgets.

Annual contributions now will be about $114,000 and $81,000, respectively, moving forward.

Fox Chapel allocated about $1.5 million for paving. A list of streets has yet to be finalized.

“At the core of council is safety, security and infrastructure,” Bennett said about the investments. “That falls right in there. Those are priorities for us.”