CV Must Adjust Taxes After Assessment

In the wake of in total property values within the , the school board is required to lower millage rates to remain revenue neutral.

Nick Morelli, the district’s finance director, said at the school board's Tuesday night voting meeting that residents shouldn’t worry about major increases in school taxes for the 2013-2014 school year—when the reassessed values will figure into the budget. The district will adjust millage rates, Morelli said, and most residents will pay what they had prior to reassessments.

The tax pool could, and probably will, change after the appeals process, Morelli added. But looking at current figures, he projected a millage rate of 14.72—down 5.16 mills from this year’s 19.88 rate.

Law requires Allegheny County school districts and municipalities to adjust tax rates to remain revenue neutral—meaning they can’t bring in more money than what is needed to balance a budget.

But what that means for residents depends on how much their property increased compared to their neighbors.

Bridgeville property owners, for instance, saw 42-percent increases in overall values while other Chartiers Valley municipalities saw less of a spike. Heidelberg and Collier property values increased by 35 percent overall while Scott Township property values increased 33 percent.

Taking a property with a pre-reassessment value of $100,000 as an example—a Bridgeville resident would pay $1,988 in school taxes this year and roughly $2,090 next year, while a Scott Township resident with the same initial value would pay about $1,958 next year. Noting the possible $102-increase for some residents, Morelli urged those who are concerned about their reassessments to . 

Also during the meeting ...

• A council concerned with tri-state area schools issued an award to the Chartiers Valley School Board, Superintendent Brian White said at the meeting. The D. Richard Wynn Distinguished School Board award, issued by the Tri-State Area School Study Council, recognizes boards for hard work, innovation and dedication.

• The school district should know by the end of March whether it will receive a roughly $1 million grant to implement solar energy. David Jason, who works with the company Green Roads Energy and helped the district apply for the grant, spoke during the public comments portion of Tuesday’s meeting. An alumnus of Chartiers Valley, Jason said he’d like to see the school be the first in the state to derive a significant portion of its energy from solar power. Jason is also a Scott Township commissioner.

• The board agreed to revisit a policy allowing the district to rent out its stadium to other schools. School Sirector Jeff Choura aired concerns that increased usage speeds up the turf’s deterioration. While Choura said he was “not a big fan” and renting out the stadium, his primary concern is collecting more money from the schools that use it. “When you’re going to have to replace (the turf), you’re going to have to come up with a lot of money,” Choura said.

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