In an effort to do some much-needed paving, Springdale Council will vote this week on a 6.5% property tax increase.
Council unanimously agreed last Tuesday to raise taxes by a half-mill in order to pave either Colfax Street or Rosslyn Avenue in 2020.
The vote on the tax hike will take place at 3:30 p.m. Thursday in the municipal building.
With the increase, the tax rate will rise from 7.75 mills to 8.25 mills. That’s an increase of about 6.5%.
Based on Allegheny County statistics, one mill of taxes brings in revenue of about $152,000 to the borough.
Kimberly McAfoose made it clear that raising money to do the paving work was the only reason for the increase.
“The budget was a balanced budget,” McAfoose said.
The $2.58 million 2020 budget is about $200,000 more than this year’s budget.
Before deciding to go with a half-mill tax increase, council considered budgets that would have included a one-mill hike and no tax hike at all.
Council deliberated whether it should try to pave both streets and increase taxes by a full mill.
“I definitely think we need to do at least one,” Councilman Jason Overly said. Council President James Zurisko said his feeling was that the borough should try to do only one of the streets and suggested raising taxes by a half-mill. In the end, the rest of council agreed.
What remains unclear is which street that will be.
Borough Engineer Gordon Taylor of Senate Engineers said the estimated cost to pave Colfax Street, from Pittsburgh Street to the borough line with Springdale Township, is $315,000.
The cost to pave Rosslyn Avenue, from Porter to Elwin streets, would be about $200,000.
Although both streets are badly in need of paving, a factor in which one gets is paved first is the curbing.
Public works foreman Carmen Canonico said it would not be wise to pave without installing new curbs or rehabilitating the existing ones. He advised council that the public works department handles the borough’s curb installations and that could occupy a lot of the public works crew’s time in the spring and summer.
He said PennDOT plans to pave Pittsburgh Street in 2020.
“That would be our only project; I wouldn’t be able to do any waterlines,” Canonico said.
However, he said it’s possible that the crew can do some curbing work this winter.
Council agreed to have Canonico do an assessment of Rossyln and Colfax to determine which would involve more curbing work.
