Blawnox real estate taxes to increase by about 10%; water and sewage bills also increase next year

Blawnox property owners will pay about 10% more in real estate taxes in 2023.

They also will see an increase in water and sewage bills as the borough passed on to consumers cost increases from Fox Chapel Authority, the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, and Alcosan.

Council voted 6-0 on Dec. 14 to pass its 2023 spending plan, which raised taxes by 1 mill. Councilwoman Meghan Kennedy was absent.

The new real estate tax rate is 10.85 mills.

The hike means a person with a $100,000 home would pay about $100 more in real estate taxes.

It was a move council Vice President Randall Stoddard said he and his colleagues did not want to make.

“We all live here, too,” Stoddard said after the vote. “We don’t want to pay more.”

However, rising costs of utilities and other expenses put the borough in a bind.

“We work hard to keep our budget within reason,” Stoddard said. “(We had) seven years without a (tax) increase. This year, the costs of everything have gone up. One mill is not a lot of money when you’re looking at monthly expenses.”

One mill is projected to generate about $44,000 in additional revenue for Blawnox.

The last time Blawnox raised property taxes was in 2015. Millage went up then from 9.35 mills to 9.85 mills.

Projected revenues and expenditures are about $1.485 million, an estimated $80,000 increase in both categories from this year’s budget.

Income includes $752,000 in real estate taxes; $273,700 in Act 511 taxes such as earned income, local service and mechanical device taxes; $50,000 in intergovernmental funds; $25,100 in licenses and permits; $21,000 in charges for services; and $11,750 in fines.

Budget documents also list about $251,000 from other sources, such as transfers from the water, sewer, refuse collection and capital funds.

Expenses include about $422,000 for police; $275,700 for public works; $230,000 for employee benefits; $113,000 for executive and general government, including administrative salaries, advertising and office supplies; $48,000 for engineering; $45,600 for fire service; $33,300 for accounting and financial administration; $20,150 for tax collection; $15,000 for legal services, $14,000 for parks and recreation; and $12,000 for information technology.

The new rates for water and sewage are effective Jan. 1. Water rates are going up from $10.48 per 1,000 gallons to $11.21 per 1,000 gallons, with a minimum of 3,000 gallons per quarter.

Sewage rates are going up from $12.09 per 1,000 gallons to $12.94 per 1,000 gallons, with no minimum per quarter.

Quarterly sewage bills will also come with a $21.88 charge.

Borough Manager Kathy Ulanowicz said the borough pays Fox Chapel Authority for water, which gets it from Pittsburgh. Sewage hikes and fees are passed on from Alcosan to borough customers, Ulanowicz said.

Garbage collection rates will remain at $65 per quarter in 2023. It is the last year in the trash collection contract with Waste Management.