Property taxes in West View will increase 24% after council approved the new tax rate along with the borough’s budget for 2026 on Wednesday, Dec. 10.

Council approved increasing the tax rate by 1.5 mills, from 6.3 mills to 7.8 mills. It is the first increase in the borough’s tax rate since 2021.

Councilman Eugene Borio was absent.

For a property at West View’s median value of $98,200, the annual borough property tax bill will increase by about $147, from about $619 to $766.

For the borough, the 1.5-mill increase will generate an additional $474,000.

Borough Manager Bruce Fromlak said the increase was recommended “to ensure fiscal stability, fund infrastructure already underway and protect service levels.”

Excluding proceeds from a bond issue to pay for construction of the borough’s new municipal complex, the borough’s 2026 budget totals about $5.47 million.

Councilman Scott Miller said council did not just “rubber stamp” the spending plan. Every line was reviewed and challenged, he said.

Fromlak said $35,000 was cut from public works, while the police department will have to wait until the end of 2026 to buy a new vehicle.

In other business

• Council approved a $7,525,000, 30-year bond issue to fund construction of the new municipal complex, which will see the existing West View Firemen’s Banquet Hall turned into the new borough offices and construction of a fire department garage.

The borough will net about $5 million from the borrowing, Fromlak said. It will pay about $300,000 on it annually.

“Debt service has been incorporated into long-range financial planning, and the bond will not be used for payroll, routine expenses or daily operations,” Fromlak said.

Before this borrowing, the borough’s debt was $365,900, scheduled to be paid off in 2032.

The borough received a $1 million federal grant, the largest in its history, that is being used toward the project, reducing the amount that had to be borrowed.

For the fire department garage, the borough this summer bought property next to the banquet hall previously home to Scholl’s Bicycle Center for $535,000. Fromlak said the borough is tentatively set to close Jan. 5 on the former Grotto Bar, located behind the bicycle center at 403 Perry Highway.

The borough plans to demolish both buildings.

While Fromlak had said the long vacant Grotto Bar was not necessary for the project, having the property will allow for access to Perry Highway and additional parking for firefighters and the public.

Fromlak anticipates demolition beginning in March or April and construction starting in June, with completion eyed for spring 2027.

“This project delivers a modern facility for police, fire and administration that will serve West View for generations,” Fromlak said.

Once complete, the borough will look to sell the building on Perry Highway that currently houses the borough offices along with those for District Judge Richard G. Opiela, the West View Hub and a Dollar General store.

• West View business owner Troy E. Holtgraver was appointed to council to replace M. Kimberly Steele, who died Nov. 26.

Steele, 72, was a previous council president and was most recently vice president. She died after a 10-month battle with pancreatic cancer.

Members of Steele’s family were present at council’s meeting Wednesday, Dec. 10, when state Rep. Emily Kinkead read a citation from the state House of Representatives honoring Steele.

Holtgraver will serve the remainder of Steele’s term through Dec. 31, 2028.

A native of Pittsburgh’s North Side, Holtgraver, 65, is the founder and owner of D&T Auto Body. He said he has never sought or held elected office before but hopes he can bring some ideas to council as a business owner.

“I’m new to this,” he said. “I’m hoping I can help out.”

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