West Leechburg residents will be seeing an addition to their tax bills starting next year.
Borough council passed a 3-mill fire tax in a 6-0 vote. Council member Colleen Hoover was absent from the meeting.
The West Leechburg Fire Department previously released a statement saying the department conducted multiple public outreach programs in an attempt to raise money but received responses from less than half of the borough residents. They were also unsuccessful in efforts to attain grant funding.
Borough Manager Kayla Visnovsky said the tax will add about $60 to a house assessed at $20,000. A majority of homes in the borough are assessed at $20,000 or less. The additional three mills will be dedicated solely to the fire department and can not be used for other purposes.
The extra funds are meant to be a consistent revenue source for the department. Much of the department’s equipment will expire soon, and it doesn’t have adequate funds to replace it.
Visnovsky said that each year the fire department sends out a request for donations to sustain the department.
“This fire tax will replace that request,” she said.
The tax cannot be raised above it current rate.
