Proposed 2025 Upper Burrell budget holds the line on taxes, hikes fire hydrant fee for nearly all properties

Upper Burrell plans to raise its fire hydrant fee by one hundredth of a mill next year, which will result in an increase of a few dollars for property owners who pay the fee.

All but 182 properties in the township pay the hydrant fee, which is charged to properties in close vicinity of a fire hydrant, according to Melissa Baronie, tax collector.

The rate would go from 0.02 mill to 0.03 mill. It’s being sought to cover higher rates from water supplier the Municipal Authority of the City of New Kensington, supervisors Chairman Ross G. Walker III said.

For property owners who pay the fee, that would translate to anywhere between a $1 and $7 increase based on their assessment, Walker said. Some property owners already pay the fee’s $40 maximum and would see no increase.

The fee, which township officials call the “fire hydrant tax,” is not part of the township’s real estate tax. It’s not technically a tax but rather a fee charged to properties that benefit from close proximity to at least one hydrant. Instead of a flat fee, it is calculated based on the assessed value of properties.

The township’s real estate tax is expected to remain at 12 mills. One mill from general real estate generates about $41,000 in revenue for the township.

The proposed budget for 2025 is close to $1.24 million; this year’s budget was just under $1.25 million. That’s about $10,000 less than this year’s budget.

Township Secretary Melissa Cortileso said there were not many changes from this year to 2025 in revenues, but she had decreased some areas because the township is not reaching the anticipated amount.

One of the decreases, she said, comes from the township’s share of Act 13 Impact Fees for unconventional gas well drilling. She said she had budgeted $105,000 for Act 13 fee revenue, but the township only got about $61,000. She anticipates the 2025 amount to be $52,000.

Proposed 2025 expenses are “normal,” Cortileso said, with a 40% increase to health care and a 4% wage increase, along with increases to accounting software, and solicitor and zoning legal fees because “we’ve just been that busy,” she said. In 2024, the township had a few public hearings for property owners seeking rezoning.

Public safety

The proposed budget allots $425,355 for the police department, which accounts for three full-time officers. Upper Burrell currently has two full-time officers.

The proposal also allocates $92,000 for fire protection, including a $20,000 direct contribution to the township’s volunteer fire department.

Supervisors are expected to authorize advertising the proposed 2025 budget at a meeting Nov. 6.

Final adoption of the budget is slated during a meeting Dec. 4.

“It’s a judicial use of taxpayer funds,” Walker said of the proposed budget. “We’re trying to get the best bang for our buck always.”