Dec 11, 2024 By Paul Paterra 2 min read

Residents of Canonsburg will face a slight tax increase in 2025.

The borough’s 2025 spending plan was adopted Monday by each of the six members of council in attendance. Councilman Eric Miller was absent.

Borough Manager Billie Bilko said the budget is the same as the tentative $6,662,043 spending approved in November and includes slight increases in the general fund and fire tax.

The millage for the general fund increased by .1 of a mill to 3.84 mills while the fire tax was raised .164 mills. The budget’s total millage is 5.028 mills.

The annual tax increase for the average homeowner is less than $40.

“I think the budget was a good job done by all of us,” said Rich Russo, council president. “We are absolutely built out. We just don’t have any new development. The tax revenue that we get is flat. It doesn’t change much from year to year. We have to be very financially responsible, so it does come occasionally with a little bit of an increase.”

Council also approved a tentative settlement in a lawsuit that North Strabane Township had filed against the Canonsburg-Houston Joint Sewer Authority.

Russo explained that North Strabane filed suit against the authority several years ago contending that Canonsburg borrowed $300,000 from the authority in 1985 that it never paid back, pension transfers were not handled correctly and the borough was taking money from the authority to take care of sewer lines and interceptors.

Russo said representatives of the parties involved appeared before a federal mediator and reached a tentative agreement that would end the suit and involves having a non-voting, non-interest, non-equity liaison between North Strabane, Cecil and Chartiers townships, the upstream communities serviced by the authority, and the authority’s board.

The settlement is tentative until all parties agree to it.