No tax hike in Norwin preliminary budget

Norwin property owners will not pay more in real estate taxes for the 2021-2022 school year under a proposed $80.2 million budget that taps into the district’s fund balance to cover about a $2.6 million gap between projected revenues and expenditures.

The proposed budget approved Monday does not cut programs or services nor does it call for laying off any teachers, Superintendent Jeff Taylor said following the school board meeting.

Taylor told the board in March the district would not increase real estate taxes for the first time since 2011-2012, unless directors direct him to take such action.

The district will continue to levy a tax of 84.8 mills on property in North Huntingdon, Irwin and North Irwin, which includes the revenue from 1.2 mills allocated to the Norwin Public Library, as required by a voter referendum. The district also covers 18 properties in White Oak and South Versailles in Allegheny County which will be taxed at a rate of 12.72, a difference created by a property reassessment in Allegheny County.

The average property assessment in Irwin, North Huntingdon and North Irwin is $22,130, which results in a levy of $1,876 in school taxes this school year.

Taylor said it was able to hold the line on property taxes by “reprioritizing” the expenditures.

While Norwin has received money from the covid relief packages Congress approved last year, Taylor said the covid-related expenditures the district covered are greater than the federal funds it received for those expenditures.

Under the proposed budget, Norwin anticipates collecting $77.6 million from local sources, the state subsidy and from the federal government, an increase from $72.3 million from the same sources in the 2020-2021 school year. The anticipated expenditures are projected to be $80.2 million, an increase from $76.9 million for the current school year.

The final budget is to be adopted June 7.