Buffalo Township will see a 3.56% tax increase – Butler Eagle

STEB complaints prompt talk of legislation

BUFFALO TWP — As Freeport Area School District board trustees approved the 2024-25 budget by a 5-3 vote to include a 3.56% tax increase in Buffalo Township, the On Wednesday, June 12, they discussed the district’s funding needs, as well as the tax gap between the communities of Butler and Armstrong counties.

Where Buffalo Township residents will see an increase of 6.07 million, increasing the rate from 170.30 to 176.37, Freeport Borough and South Buffalo Township in Armstrong County will see a decrease in tax of 10.42%, lowering their millage rate from 69.02 to 61.83.

That would translate to an annual increase of about $135 for a Buffalo Township resident and a decrease of about $245 for an Armstrong County resident.

The calculations are determined by the State Tax Equalization Board, or STEB, through a process that some board directors — and members of the public — called unfair Wednesday.

Because properties are valued differently in different counties, the Board of Tax Equalization operates under the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to determine the “aggregate market value of taxable real property in each political subdivision and school district throughout Pennsylvania ”, according to its website.

“Butler County is 75 percent of the value,” board director Daniel Ritter said. “And Armstrong County is only 25 percent…now Butler County continues to grow as a whole.” Not just Buffalo Township, they see all of Butler County.

“(Butler County) has a lot of businesses – Mars and Cranberry,” Ritter said, stating he disagreed with the STEB equalization formula.

Freeport Borough resident Jackie Gaughan said that because the majority of the district’s schools are located in Butler County, the cost of taxes should primarily be borne by the county.

“When 75 percent of residents live in Buffalo Township, they will pay 75 percent of the bill,” she said.

Board Chairman Gary Risch, Jr., who said he grew up in Buffalo Township but lives in Armstrong County, said he would like to see the tax burden spread more evenly among both counties.

Community member and parent Miranda Virone asked if the school district could lobby local and state officials about the tax equalization process, to which Superintendent Ian Magness and Risch responded that they had. already done.

In August 2023, the school board passed a resolution urging lawmakers to change the mandatory millage rebalancing requirements under School Code Section 672.1. So Freeport — which is one of 88 multi-county districts in the state — would be able to equalize taxes across counties.

“All we ask of our legislators is…if your STEB works for you, and you’re a district…and you like your STEB, keep your STEB,” Magness said. “All we are asking for is a fifth option that would allow us to make the decision locally to distribute (taxes) fairly.”

“It’s up to our local representatives in Harrisburg to help us, and we know other local school districts are struggling with the same thing,” Magness said. “We will continue to advocate on behalf of our district, our taxpayers, particularly in Buffalo Township … for fairness and relief as it relates to a fair share of the (tax) burden.”

The budget

The budget was approved with Michael Huth, John Haven and Gregory Selinger in opposition. Christine Davies, Sylvia Maxwell, Daniel Ritter, Dino DiGiacobbe and Risch voted in favor of the budget which includes expenditures of $38,447,833 and revenues of $37,759,734.

Bradley Walker, director of finance and operations, said the district will dip into its fund balance to make up the deficit.

Regarding the tax increase in Buffalo Township, Davies and Maxwell both noted reparations, education costs and teacher salaries as expenses.

“Our buildings need to be repaired,” Davies said.

Earlier in the meeting, John Haven discussed different options for renovating the high school. Window and HVAC repairs alone would climb to about $15 million. The high school also needs roof repairs, Risch later said.

Walker previously said the district faces rising health insurance costs, contractual salary increases and increased costs for utilities, transportation, supplies and out-of-district placements. .