Irwin plans 2-mill tax hike to fund fire department

Irwin property owners might see a two-mill tax hike in their real estate bill next year under a proposed 2024 budget that increases funding for the volunteer fire department.

Council on Wednesday is expected to approve a budget that sets the real estate tax at 28 mills: 23 mills for the general fund ; three mills for the fire department ; and two mills for a street light fund to pay for electricity, repairs and replacements.

With the additional fire tax, Irwin’s proposed millage would increase a property owner’s taxes by about 7.6%. One mill is equal to $1 in property tax per $1,000 of a property’s assessed value.

Under the proposed budget, the borough would spend less on general operating expenses — $4.20 million in 2024, compared to the 2023 general fund budget of $4.28 million.

The spending plan would provide the Irwin Volunteer Fire Department with an additional $60,000 through the tax hike, from $30,000, to $90,000. Council reduced the borough’s lump sum payment to the fire department from $69,000 this year to $9,000 next year. The fire department tax was created in 2020.

Councilman Shawn Stitely, a deputy fire chief in the borough, said the change in funding will give the department more flexibility in how it spends the money. The fire department tax is a dedicated revenue stream, rather than the discretionary annual allocation.

The money saved by shifting the bulk of the fire department’s general fund allocation to the fire tax will allow the community to hire another full-time public works employee, borough manager Shari Martino said.

Hiring another full-time public works employee would allow Matt Sever, who splits time with public works and code enforcement, to devote more time to code enforcement issues. In the past few months, the borough has seen several property owners cited for code enforcement violations, who in turn seek public hearings regarding building code violations.

The budget also provides non-union borough employees with average salary increases of about 3%, said Rick Burdelski, council president. If the budget is approved, Martino will see a salary increase from $60,737 to $62,559. Police Chief Dan Wensel’s salary will increase from $77,500 to $79,825.