Bridgeville Waiting to Reduce Property Tax Millage Rate

Bridgeville is waiting to reduce its property tax millage rate until it gets more accurate reassessment numbers from Allegheny County.

The borough council in December passed its budget and set the tax rate at 6.75 mills, which is the same millage number as the previous year.

But state law requires communities and school districts to reduce millage rates after reassessments so as not to receive a massive increase in revenue–and massive tax increases–from the higher property numbers. The borough should have until June 15 to set the final rate because the tax bills aren’t mailed to property owners until the summer.

Sign up for our Daily E-mail Newsletter or Like the Chartiers Valley Patch Facebook page

Bridgeville’s overall property assessment increased from $197 million in previous years to $270 million in 2013, according to Chartiers Valley School District Business Manager Nick Morelli. That is close to a 37 percent increase, meaning the borough will probably have to reduce its millage rate to around 5 mills, according to an estimated calculation by Chartiers Valley Patch.

But those numbers will probably change as more appeals continue to be heard and decided.

“If they ever came up with a final assessment, we’ll finally know where we have to go,” Councilwoman Mary Weise said. “This is going to affect the millage. We’ll definitely have to have meetings on it.”

Borough Manager Lori Collins said they might also wait to reduce the millage rate and put any extra money into an “escrow fund” and refund property owners at the end of the year.

Sign up for our Daily E-mail Newsletter or Like the Chartiers Valley Patch Facebook page