Dec 17, 2020 2 min read

Canonsburg’s council unanimously approved, during a virtual Monday meeting, the 2021 budget, which includes a tax increase.

According to borough Manager Denise Lesnock, the borough decided to raise the real estate tax by “one tenth of a mill.”

The total millage rate, which was 4.248 mills this year, will be going up to 4.348. At 100% collection, the increase is expected to bring in an additional $55,000. The money will go toward “general purposes,” Lesnock said.

“It has to go up a little bit because of everything going up,” Lesnock said. “I thought we did pretty good considering we had COVID this year.”

Lesnock said the borough did lose some revenue this year possibly because of the COVID-19 pandemic and related shutdowns. She said they also saw some expenses increase in areas like workers compensation insurance.

“There isn’t any one thing that I can point at,” Lesnock said. “I wish it was that easy. It’s just a little here and a little there.”

The increase will cost the owner of a home valued at $100,000 an additional $12.50 per year, she said.

It’s the second year in a row the council has raised taxes. Last year, council raised taxes by three tenths of a mill, Lesnock said.

“We’re in the middle of growth in Canonsburg that hasn’t happened in probably 20 years,” said council President RT Bell. “Our streets are better than most, and we’re doing the land development, knocking down buildings and trying to get things done. We realize it’s tough times, but we want to keep things going. We don’t want the momentum to stop.”

Bell also emphasized the negative effect COVID-19 has had on the borough’s finances. He said even with all the financial uncertainty brought on by the pandemic, the council has invested in the development of Canonsburg.

“We’ve been doing a lot more in the community,” Bell said. “You can’t let a town just die, and to bring it back, you have to put a little bit of time and work into it. I think people understand that.”