McCandless tax rate to stay same

The Town of McCandless’ $27.3 million budget will be voted on during the council meeting at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9 at Town Hall on Grubbs Road.

Remaining at 1.236 mills, there is no real estate tax rate change for the 20th consecutive year. Two public budget workshops were held in November, and a public hearing on Nov. 25 yielded no comment.

“This project starts in July each year. We disseminate the budget worksheets to town staff department heads who work for about a month to pull together information for their budget. (They) submit it to the finance department and town manager’s office in order to compile the budget for the next year,” said assistant town manager Trisha Greathouse.

Some highlights of the proposed 2025 consolidated municipal budget include funding for the McCandless Police Department, which is set to receive $6.8 million, about a 4% increase from 2024. That includes costs for police physicals and outfitting for new officers, with several expected to retire next year. Three replacement vehicles are projected to cost $180,000.

Along with 31 police officers on staff, one social worker is joining the department to assist on calls and other needs.

The town took into account the loss of revenues for wages of police officers who previously were school resource officers for North Allegheny School District, which would reimburse the town for the officers. That accounted for about $200,000, or 75%, of wages for two McCandless officers, Greathouse said.

The school district now has an in-house police department, and there has also been a reduction in requests for officers to attend school events, such as football games, she said.

McCandless is contributing $188,120 to each of the town’s three volunteer fire companies: Highland, Ingomar and Peebles. The money is to be distributed quarterly at $47,030, less each company’s Apparatus Fund Loan repayment and the quarterly fuel costs incurred, Greathouse said.

The municipality does not upcharge fuel purchases, but simply charges the VFCs for their usage at the town’s average inventory cost, Greathouse said.

There will be a $110,000 contribution to the McCandless Franklin Park Ambulance Authority. The MFPAA also reimburses the town for repairs and fuel.

Public works’ snow and ice control is projected at $652,000, The municipality maintains about 110 miles of town-owned roads and about 20 miles of state-owned roads, except for Route 19 and McKnight Road.

“We monitor about 25 years of salt usage as well as overtime shifts,” plus other considerations, Greathouse said, “and we take an average and continue to budget that year to year. We have had some light years recently but that’s not what I’m hearing so far. We really haven’t seen an increase in that budget year over year.”

The five-year forecast for the town’s capital improvement program fund includes projects such as $315,000 in 2025 to make the sidewalks in North Meadows compliant with the American Disability Act. That is partly funded by a state grant of $142,000.

The CIP forecast includes $1.38 million in 2025 for large equipment purchases, including public works buying a leaf truck, pickup track and three 10-ton dump trucks, which are being delivered late because of chain supply issues over the past few years.

Maintenance of roads is budgeted at $1.5 million for 2025. The road program is currently set to repave every town road at a 18- to 20-year time span.

Some roads remain in good shape, and some deteriorate quickly. Depending on the length of a road, there are approximately 18 to 30 roads done each year, with a group of roads selected each fall. An evaluation of roads is taken in the spring, after the winter weather, Greathouse said.

Council already approved a $622,155 contribution to the Northland Public Library, a $20,810 increase from last year.

The town also received an approximately $99,000 grant from the state’s Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program to use toward a master and park trail feasibility plan, budgeted at $120,000.

“Once we complete that plan, it will help generate future projects for parks through that study,” Greathouse said.

On the revenue side, about 42% of the general fund budget is from the town’s earned income tax of 1%.

“It is a strong revenue source for the town, and it helps to keep our property tax low,” Greathouse said.

She noted the past five years, there was a strong performance in commercial real estate transfer, and the business privilege tax remains strong.

McCandless, along with other local municipalities, were recipients of funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, a federal stimulus bill that provided money to state and local government during the pandemic. ARPA regulations require local governments to have all funds obligated by Dec. 31, 2024, Greathouse said.

Local municipalities referenced a change in the budget revenue caused by the absence of these funds in the coming year. McCandless prepared for the change.

McCandless received $2.96 million in ARPA funds.

“We have drawn down on the funds over four years to minimize the budget impact. The ARPA revenue represents an average of approximately 4% of the general fund revenue budgets from 2021-2024. The town has projected revenue growth in other budget revenue areas in 2025 based on historical trends over the last four years that we believe will compensate for the ARPA loss,” Greathouse said.

The proposed budget is available at www.townofmccandless.org.