Property owners get sticker shock from Westmoreland County tax hike

John Proffitt said he was shocked when he opened his Westmoreland County property tax bill this month.

The 91-year-old North Huntingdon resident’s county tax increased to $592, more than 25% over last year’s $471.

“It’s ridiculous for it to (go) up that much in one year,” said Proffitt, who owns a modest home in the township’s Sheridan Terrace neighborhood and lives on a fixed income.

Proffitt is not alone. Every property owner in the county is feeling the pinch after county commissioners passed a $456.7 million budget in December that increased real estate taxes by 32.5% for this year.

Several municipal tax collectors said they have heard an earful from residents who were surprised at the increase in county taxes. Some of the collectors said they have made it a point to pin the blame on the county commissioners.

“They think we are the bad guys,” said Lois Bennett, who has been Irwin Borough’s tax collector for 19 years.

County Commissioner Ted Kopas said he did not expect residents to welcome the tax hike. It’s the first increase since a 2.4% hike in 2019 and only the second time since 2005 that the county raised property taxes.

For decades, commissioners passed deficit budgets that were balanced with surplus funds.

“Once you explain the reality of the last 19 years, they might not like it, but they understand it,” Kopas said. “We’ve had a number of calls that ended rather friendly.”

Of the almost 7-mill county tax hike, 3.51 mills will be used to fund general government operations, and the remaining 3.48 mills will be used to make debt payments.

Commissioner Doug Chew said his office has logged 13 calls since December regarding the tax hike.

“Many of the callers were generally frustrated with our decision to raise taxes. This led to a discussion with many of them on the county’s budgeting decisions. Budgeting and taxes are important issues we need to address,” Chew said.

Chew will hold a virtual town hall at 6 p.m. March 26 to discuss the county’s tax and budgeting process.

Since the bills were mailed March 1, Penn Township tax collector Ed Sheehy said his office has been receiving an average of 20 to 30 calls a day.

“(Residents) are basically very upset that their bill has gone up. But nothing prepares you for the irate phone calls you’re going to get and the volume,” Sheehy said.

While TribLive published several stories in advance of the tax hike and when it was passed, residents wanted to know why they didn’t get notified earlier, Sheehy said.

They also questioned two lines on their bills, one for county debt service and a second for county real estate taxes. It was the first time the bill included a separate levy designated to pay off debt.

Sheehy, who has been tax collector for three years, said the township met with county officials in mid-February to review the increase.

“They were very good about being proactive and telling us what was coming,” he said.

He said some people suggest he is making money from the increase, which is not the case.

“One of the ways I try to soften it is we do talk about (how) there hasn’t been a tax increase since 2019, and I remind them that I, like them, am a homeowner, am a taxpayer … The taxes have gone up just like every other cost.”

To drive home the point the tax collector is only the bearer of bad news and not the cause of it, North Huntingdon tax collector Shelly Buchanan left a succinct message on her office answering machine.

For those with questions about the property tax hike, she directs them to call the county commissioners. To make it easier to lodge complaints, the message includes each of the commissioners’ names and office phone numbers.

In Lower Burrell, city Treasurer Frank Trozzi said his office has fielded a few questions from taxpayers, but it hasn’t been overwhelming.

“As you can imagine, people are concerned about the substantial increase in the county taxes,” Trozzi said.

When calls do come in, he and his staff answer questions and explain the tax bills. That process has gone well so far, Trozzi said.

“We try to explain that the county needs to raise taxes at some point to balance the budget,” he said. “We explain how that works, and most people understand.”

Mt. Pleasant tax collector Carol Yancosky made a preemptive strike against potentially angry customers. She has a TribLive story about the county’s tax hike taped to her office window, where the public can see it.

“We’ve gotten tons of phone calls, especially since the county tax raise,” Yancosky said. “When people come in, I make sure to explain it to them because a lot of people have questioned it.”

“People always tell me that taxes continue to go up, but their income stays the same,” she said.

In Jeannette, city tax collector Jake Milliron added information to the town’s website that made it clear the county was responsible for the increase.

“We tried to be as proactive as we could,” he said.

The office received a few calls this week from people who were caught off guard. But the office had processed 100 payments by midday Tuesday. It seemed like taxpayers were aware of the tax hike, Milliron said.

“Most people either didn’t pay attention to it or just wrote the check,” he said. “It’s not as bad as I thought it would be.”

Greensburg City Councilman Randy Finfrock said the city has heard from a few residents about the tax increase.

“We do have a few who don’t understand. But, for the most part, they know it’s the county and not the city,” said Finfrock, who is director of accounts and finances on city council.