Dec 24, 2002 By April Straughters 3 min read

CENTERVILLE – Borough residents will see no increase in real estate taxes this year, even as council plans a year of progress – with new purchases, street improvements and the expansion of the police department. “We are in the best financial standing this borough has ever been in,” said councilwoman Mariann Bailey, chairman of the budget committee.

Council will vote on 2003’s $1,792,381 balanced budget on Monday, Dec. 30, at 6 p.m. The borough’s real estate taxes will remain at 26 mills, with one mill equal to approximately $14,000, according to borough secretary Cheryl Mutesich.

The borough’s good financial standing has allowed council to budget for major improvements in 2003.

For the first time, the borough will have 24-hour-a-day police coverage, with the hiring of a new part-time police officer. Council allocated $209,405 toward public safety (protection to persons and property) in 2003, which is a $78,403 increase from 2002’s budget.

According to Bailey, council budgeted $12,500 for the hiring of a part-time police officer and $25,000 for a new police vehicle.

Bailey said that, with the new hire, the borough will have four full-time and two part-time police officers providing 24-hour-a-day services. The vehicle purchase will be the third for the police department.

Also included in the 2003 budget is a new $28,000 dump truck purchase for the road crew and a new tractor for cutting grass.

The new truck purchase will bring the borough up to four dump trucks.

Councilman Patsy Ricciuti said the borough pays cash for its purchases. The money for the 2003 purchases will come out of the borough’s $118,132 general government fund.

A comparison of budgets from 2003 and 2002 shows a $66,900 increase in tax collection next year for a total of $614,300 in 2003.

Bailey said the increase is due to more people moving into the borough.

“We’ve seen more growth, and we’re hoping to have quite a lot more in the future,” Bailey said.

Council anticipates a significant growth in the borough with the proposed Mon Fayette Expressway, a 24-mile corridor that will connect Centerville to communities south of Pittsburgh.

Money budgeted for highways, roads and streets is up by $156,647 this year to $520,547.

Bailey said the increase is not for any one particular project, but part of an overall effort to improve the streets.

She said the road crew will check all 53 miles of roads within the borough and make repairs starting with those in the worst condition.

“The roads were let go for a lot of years. Now, we’re trying to catch up for what was neglected for 20 or more years,” Bailey said.

“We’d like to have them all done at once. We’ve already started making improvements, so people may have already taken notice.”