Proposed Murrysville budget tweaks Medic One allocation

Murrysville will make some changes in the way the municipality designates some of its tax millage, according to a 2024 budget proposal.

The $15.6 million budget, first presented at council’s Nov. 1 meeting, represents a 1.34% increase over 2023, finance director Jacie Milchak said.

“The (property) tax rate will remain at 12.15 mills, but the budget does include a proposed reallocation of millage,” Milchak said.

Two years ago, the municipality raised taxes for the first time since 2007, adding a small bump in its percentage of both the earned income and real estate transfer taxes.

The main change will be a municipal contribution to Murrysville Medic One, which has come recently from 0.1 mills specifically earmarked for the emergency service provider.

“Medic One has requested additional funding in 2024 to support the Murrysville community,” Milchak said. “The 2024 budget recommends an inter-fund transfer for a contribution to be made from our general fund instead of from dedicated millage.”

One mill represents roughly $340,000, according to budget projections.

The request is based on a figure of $5 per resident, and the transfer is proposed to be $100,000. Medic One made a similar request of Export, where council voted Tuesday to make a $5,000 donation to the organization.

Just under 3.5 mills dedicated for Murrysville’s capital improvement fund will go toward $2.7 million in capital projects next year. Major expenditures include $1.5 million in street work and $465,000 in parks improvements.

Duff Park would see construction of an enlarged parking area, a retaining wall around the parking lot and a restroom near the entrance. Pavilion and gazebo repairs will take place in Townsend Park along with road work on the entrance and interior road. There also is $17,000 in general improvements through Boy Scouts projects, general maintenance and trail work, but that money will come from the budget’s general fund instead of the capital reserve.

The municipality also began receiving royalty revenue from drillers under the terms of oil and gas leases signed in the past few years, which is being directed to the capital improvement fund for parks improvements.

“Up until this year, what we were receiving was fairly small,” Milchak said. “Moving forward, unless we have a contract where we know exactly how much it (will be), it’s hard to budget a specific number — so we directed it to the parks fund.”

The municipality will also take on more responsibility for handling inspections of its bridges.

“Right now the state is doing that work, and taking part of the liquid fuels funding as compensation,” Murrysville Chief Administrator Michael Nestico said. “By bringing it ‘in-house,’ we’ll still contract it out but we’re making the decision about who will perform that work.”

Council will vote on the proposed budget at one of its December meetings, which will take place at 7 p.m. Dec. 6 and 19. An agenda is available in advance at Murrysville.com.