Nov 30, 2022 2 min read

The South Strabane Township board of supervisors approved a tentative budget for 2023 that includes a 0.75 mill fire tax, but said they do not expect that to be the final number.

The supervisors approved the tentative budget at a special meeting Monday evening. The more than $7.4 million budget would maintain a real estate tax of 1.1 mills, and also establish the fire tax. As it currently stands, a resident with a $200,000 home would pay $370.

This would be 9.86% of the total tax bill, and a 68% hike on residents.

“The board, however, is not comfortable with that,” said Township Manager Brandon Stanick in a phone interview Tuesday. “TheY want to work towards sharpening the pencils and bringing that down.”

The prospect of a fire tax was first raised at a supervisors’ meeting in October when the board voted 3-2 to purchase a $1.3 million fire truck.

To pay for the truck, Stanick said the township would be able to impose a fire tax of up to 3 mills, but suggested a more modest increase to the real estate tax would generate the necessary revenue.

“A tenth of a mill would generate about $125,500 a year to support this purchase. That means with a property that has an assessed valuation of approximately $200,000, that would be $20,” Stanick said.

The fire tax proposed in the tentative budget would generate more than $938,198 in a year.

The truck, which comes equipped with a 107-foot ladder, is to be financed over 20 years with payments from the township beginning in 2026.

Stanick stressed that they are examining alternatives to the proposed tax before the final budget comes up for a vote in December.

The tentative budget also calls for an average of 5% wage increases for South Strabane’s police officers. All township employees will see an 8% increase in their medical benefits.

The township also plans to hire two additional part-time firefighters, with no plans to hire full-time firefighters for the fire department.