Shaler approves 2026 budget; property tax rate unchanged

Shaler property owners will not see their township property tax bills increase in 2026.

Township commissioners on Tuesday, Dec. 9, approved a $17.4 million budget for next year and left the property tax rate unchanged at 3.49 mills.

For a property at Shaler’s $132,200 median value, the township tax bill will remain about $461.

The last time Shaler raised taxes was in 2020.

“We’ve held the line very steady. It’s frugal and prudent fiscal management lead by this board,” township Manager Judy Kording said. “It is a challenge. I’ve done it for a long time, almost 38 years. It’s hard but we do it, and I think we do it well. It’s a tribute to this board for controlled spending to hold the tax line.”

The budget and tax rate were approved on votes of 6-0, with Commissioner William Cross absent.

Most of the $461 average property tax bill, about 41%, or $188, goes to public safety, according to the township. Public works is second at 32%, or $148. They are followed by parks and recreation, $55, and general government, $50.

With nearly 12,300 households in Shaler, the cost per household is $1,420, with about $578 for police, $456 for public works, $171 for parks and recreation, and $155 for general government.

In 2025, Shaler’s 125th anniversary, the township completed a $1.4 million paving program and about $441,000 of storm sewer rehabilitations. It also completed $2.9 million of required sanitary sewer lining.

The year saw Kording promoted from assistant township manager to manager and the hiring of a new finance assistant, Terri Begenwald.

A new assistant township manager is expected to start in mid-January and is included in the 2026 budget.

Six police cadets and two public works employees also were hired in 2025.

Shaler hosted The Wall That Heals, a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, over Memorial Day weekend, which drew more than 12,000 visitors to the township.

A $2.3 million project to demolish and replace the 61-year-old bathhouse at Crawford Pool began this year. The new facility is expected to be ready for opening on Memorial Day weekend next year.

Also in 2026, the township is planning to spend $1.6 million on paving, complete a parks and recreation master plan and make improvements at Fall Run Park, including a restroom and playground, using $535,000 in grant money and another $250,000 from the township.