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TMCNet: Residents' tax bills to increase by 3 percent in Fox Chapel

[June 19, 2008]

Residents' tax bills to increase by 3 percent in Fox Chapel

(The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jun. 19--The tax bills of property owners in the Fox Chapel Area School District will increase for the third year in a row, but gambling proceeds may offset the increase for thousands of homeowners.


The school board this week adopted a $74.4 million budget for the 2008-09 school year that increases the property tax rate by 3 percent, from 19.71 mills to 20.3 mills.

The owner of a home assessed at $120,000 will pay $2,436 in taxes to the school district, an increase of $71.

School board President Charles Burke said the district is raising taxes at less than the index set for the district by the state.

"The taxes are going up to cover fixed costs," he said. "The school board feels it's very important to continue to maximize the educational opportunities for our students, while being responsible to the taxpayers."

The district has increased taxes five times since the 2001-02 school year. Fox Chapel Area serves Aspinwall, Blawnox, Fox Chapel, Sharpsburg, Indiana Township and O'Hara.

The district's share of statewide gaming funds collected by the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue is $1.5 million. The owners of 7,655 properties in the district that qualified for a homestead exclusion will receive a $192 reduction in their property taxes from the slot machine proceeds, according to the district.

Another 1,584 properties within the district either did not apply or otherwise qualify for the exclusion, and could apply next year, district spokeswoman Bonnie Berzonski said.

The budget increases spending by 3.22 percent, or $2.3 million, over the 2007-08 school year. It was endorsed by the district's Resource Planning Committee, a group of residents with financial and management backgrounds that provides additional expertise to the school board on financial matters.

The district will not add any teachers next year. The budget covers a 6 percent increase in medical insurance premiums, a 2 percent increase in dental rates and a 35 percent increase in vision rates. The district is transferring $1 million into its capital projects fund for facilities maintenance.

To see more of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/.

Copyright (c) 2008, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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