North Huntingdon holds line on property taxes for 2021

North Huntingdon property owners will not have to pay more in real estate taxes in 2021.

The commissioners on Wednesday approved setting the tax rate at 11.55 mills for the $14.7 million general fund budget.

Commissioner Jason Atwood was the lone opposition to setting the tax rate at 11.55 mills; Atwood and Commissioner Eric Gass opposed approving the budget.

Atwood said last week during a special meeting he had wanted to raise taxes by about 2 mills to cover a budget deficit rather than transferring $1.14 million from the fund balance to provide enough money to cover expenses in 2021.

Atwood had blamed previous boards of commissioners for failing to raise taxes to cover expenses, rather than dipping into the fund balance.

Commissioner Zachary Haigis, who has served on the board of commissioner longer than any other current official, said last week the commissioners had cut taxes several years ago because the fund balance had grown. Haigis said he had been opposed to collecting an excess amount of tax revenue that would sit in a fund balance account.

Gass said he did not want to raise property taxes, but voted against the budget because he wanted to have more time to review the spending plan.

The township will allocate the revenue from 9.23 mills of the 11.55-mill tax levy to the general fund. One mill, which gives the local government close to $400,000 , is earmarked for capital improvements. Money collected from 1.32 of the mills will be distributed to North Huntingdon’s fire companies.

The general fund budget is almost $540,000 less than this year’s budget.

The budget freezes the wages in 2021 for Silka and all the department heads, as well as all nonunion personnel who are not covered by contracts.