Ross officials have continued to work on the township’s 2026 budget but have not found enough cuts to make a dent in a proposed 8% property tax increase.

At a commissioners meeting Nov. 17, finance director Dan Berty told commissioners that while they found spending that could be cut, they also found some things that had been underbudgeted.

The township’s property tax rate still would increase from 3.7 mills to 4 mills. The owner of a property at Ross’ median value of $134,600 would see about a $40 annual increase, from about $498 to $538.

While the 0.3 mill increase will generate $770,000 in additional revenue for Ross, there still will be a $1.5 million deficit, Berty said. Without the increase, the deficit would be $2.25 million.

The township has about $7 million in its reserves, Berty said.

The revisions netted a 0.3% reduction in the total budget, from $46.89 million in late October to $46.74 million as of Nov. 12, according to Berty’s updated budget message.

Where the first draft was spending about $234,000 less than this year’s budget, the updated draft shows a reduction of about $383,000 for the same reasons — major decreases in bridge replacements and sewer deficiency correction projects offset by increasing personnel cost.

The township’s general fund, the largest part of the overall budget, actually increased by 0.3%, from $29.18 million to $29.27 million. The sewer fund increased by 0.4%, from $13.37 million to $13.42 million.

The only reduction was in the capital fund, which came down nearly 9% from $3.34 million to $3.04 million. Other, lesser funds — liquid fuels, sidewalk and field improvement — were unchanged.

Spending on trail projects was reduced from $20,000 to $5,000, and spending on park improvements was reduced from $340,000 to $295,000.

The expected cost for the renovation of a police locker room was increased from $300,000 to $375,000.

The annual road program was not touched and remains at $1.7 million.

Assessment appeals and reassessments continue to be a concern for Ross commissioners. Berty updated the decrease in the overall assessed values of taxable real estate due to reassessments in 2025 from $16.23 million to $16.38 million.

At the same meeting, commissioners approved tax refunds resulting from assessment reductions for 2022 through 2025 totaling about $55,300.

“This adds up and it’s not helping us,” Commissioner Dan DeMarco said.

Revenue lost to refunds introduces significant uncertainty into the township’s finances, Berty said, adding it’s “unnerving” when revenue turns into expenditures. Appeals, he said, are outnumbering the increased value from development.

DeMarco placed the blame with Allegheny County and county leaders who refuse to conduct a property reassessment.

“It’s going to get worse if the county just sits there and ignores it,” he said.

The only way to get fair values is for the county to perform a reassessment, DeMarco said, adding that many properties are valued at less than they should be.

“My house is way underassessed,” DeMarco said.

Commissioners are scheduled to vote on the budget Dec. 15.

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