Bullskin residents flood meeting after talk of doubling taxes
The influx of over 50 residents into the Bullskin Township municipal building for this week’s supervisor’s meeting was successful in having the board hold off on a plan to double taxes in 2018 — at least for now.
The agenda for the monthly meeting did, in fact, have two separate action items concerning the budget. The first was a resolution to increase the tax millage from 0.459 mills to 0.918 in 2018, the second was to pass a tentative 2018 budget with revenues and expenditures at $1,537,442.
Supervisor Deb Wiltrout said that township residents have not seen a tax increase since the 1970s.
“It’s been over 40 years and all of our expenses for things like health care, liability insurance, road maintenance and everything else continues to go up,” he said. “It’s time. We have to do it.”
Township Tax Collector Lou Bell said with the current millage, a house assessed at $100,000 currently pays just over $45 a year in local taxes.
If the tax increase does go through, those individuals would pay just over $90 a year to the township.
Wiltrout said they would expect the increase in taxes to bring in about $125,000 more in revenue annually.
“We haven’t paved roads in three years,” he said. “This would help us do that.”
Township resident Lori Henry questioned where the money generated by a tax increase would go. Henry, the secretary/treasurer for Upper Tyrone Township, said the township receives liquid fuels money from the state for road paving.
Wiltrout said Bullskin officials use those funds for salt and ashes in the winter as well as stone and other road aggregates and pipe for bridge areas and other necessary road repairs.
Several residents asked to see the actual budget with specific line items, so they could see what revenues are coming in and what actual expenses are estimated at for 2018. The supervisors, however, could not produce a budget for anyone to look at.
“If you want to raise taxes, I don’t think anyone here would have a problem with it if you could actually show them what it is you can’t afford to pay,” Henry said.
Resident Jesse Wiltrout agreed.
“A lot of people found out about this (possible tax increase) by word of mouth,” he said. “I suggest you get your figures and paperwork together and show people where the money is going and then the doubt aspect goes away if they know why the money is needed and where it’s going.”
Supervisors agreed and set a special meeting for Wednesday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m., to go over the budget with residents.
They also agreed to table the motion to increase the tax millage and passed a tentative budget with revenues and expenditures of $1,412,442, which is $125,000 less than the preliminary budget they had anticipated passing.
The preliminary budget must be advertised and available to be viewed by township residents for at least 20 days before a final budget can be approved.
Supervisors can make revisions to the budget, including raising taxes, before the final budget is passed at their regularly scheduled meeting on Dec. 27, at 7 p.m.
In other township business, supervisors tabled a motion to take action on imposing a “no burning” ordinance in the township.
They also passed a motion to prohibit the location of a Category 4 casino — a mini-casino facility — within the township boundaries.
“This just states that no one can set up a casino in the township,” Wiltrout said. “By law, you can’t open one within 25 miles of the one at Nemacolin anyhow.”
They also passed an agreement with Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to receive $1,534,500 to purchase homes identified in the township as part of the flood mitigation program as well as to demolish those structures.
Finally, a vote was rejected to accept the Greater Connellsville Flood Recovery Center’s offer to purchase the property at 2115 Buttermore Boulevard from the owners and donate it to Bullskin Township.
The property is the one property that was affected by the floods in August 2016 and was originally part of the flood mitigation plan. It was later removed as a property that could be purchased through the PEMA/FEMA funds.
Wiltrout said if they agreed to the donation, the township would be responsible for insurance on and maintenance of the property. That was more than they were willing to commit to, he said.