USC District Property Taxes Likely Rising For Next Three Years

UPPER ST. CLAIR, PA - Property owners in the Upper St. Clair School District almost certainly will see a tax increase after school directors approved a proposed final budget increasing millage by 0.8172 mills. The final budget is expected to be adopted on June 20.

If the tax hike is approved, the millage rate would be 25.156 mills. On a $230,000 house, the median home value in Upper St. Clair, property owners would pay an additional $188 or $16 per month.

Homeowners also face the looming prospect of tax increases for the next two years to pay for $16 million in district capital projects. Millage is tentatively slated to increase 0.15 mill in 2018-19 and 0.16 mill in 2019-20.

Those tax increases will fund construction of a new eight-lane pool at the high school, a multi-use complex at the high school stadium and pay for the completion of Boyce Athletic Field facilities. The district also plans to remove the pedestrian bridge at the high school and repave the high school parking lot.

The proposed 2017-18 spending plan is an increase of nearly $3.5 million or 4.56 percent over the current budget. More than $1 million is attributed to mandated increases to the Public School Employees Retirement System, which has jumped from $2 million in 2007-08 to $11.4 million for 2017-18. Salaries, health care premiums, special education and transportation costs also have increased.

“We continue to face the challenge of providing the highest quality education for our high performing school district while receiving diminishing financial support and increased mandated costs from state and federal levels,” Superintendent Patrick O’Toole said.

Illustration by DonkeyHotey via Creative Commons.