It’s been a tough budget season, according to Harrison officials.
Ongoing tax assessment appeals are expected to result in a 10% dip in real estate revenue while commissioners are tasked with crucial expenses next year that include new police hires and EMS funding.
“This challenge is compounded by the fact that the township has not increased taxes in over 20 years, even during periods of high inflation,” Manager Amy Rockwell said.
Commissioner Chuck Dizard said “although we made every effort to balance the 2025 budget without a tax increase, it became clear we needed to have a small tax increase to maintain the quality of life for township residents.”
The board approved a proposed $5.9 million budget that raises the property tax rate by nearly 10%, or 0.5-mill, to 5.606 mills.
The owner of a home assessed at $75,100, the median property value in the township, would pay $37 more, or about $420.
“The 2025 township budget has been challenging,” Dizard said.
“Given the deep difficulty recruiting qualified officers, this is not the time to underfund our police. The commissioners also continue to support Citizens EMS while negotiations proceed with Brackenridge, East Deer and Tarentum for establishing an EMS authority.”
Rockwell said the tax increase was necessary after the past three budget cycles, where fund balances were used to cover budget shortfalls.
She said the board sought to minimize the impact on residents and will reduce expenses by 6%. One significant change is removing paving projects from the budget next year.
The plan is to shift to paving every other year, Rockwell said.
“While paving every other year is not ideal, the township believes that our aggressive paving program in recent years, combined with ongoing maintenance efforts, will prevent any significant impact on the roads,” she said.
Moving forward, the board will continue to assess the township’s needs and align them with the annual budget.
Rockwell said cuts were proposed across all departments, but the commissioners decided to preserve funding for public safety.
She said that for every $100 in real estate taxes paid by property owners, $14 goes to the township, $14 to Allegheny County and $72 to Highlands School District.
If the millage increase is approved, the owner of a house with the median property value would pay $420, or $35 per month, for all of the public services provided by the township, she said.
The public safety budget includes about $1.9 million for police, $501,000 for fire and EMS, and nearly $212,000 for zoning/codes/protective inspection.
Commissioners will vote on the budget on Dec. 16.
