Monessen holds line on real estate taxes

By KRISTIE LINDEN
klinden@yourmvi.com

Residents of the City of Monessen will not face a tax increase in 2021 if the preliminary version of next year’s budget is formally approved at the end of the month.
The tax millage will remain at 43.11. The city expects to bring in and spend $4.31 million in 2021, according to the draft spending plan passed in a special meeting Wednesday night.
Last year, the city budgeted expenditures of $4.4 million.
Mayor Matt Shorraw said next year he expects to spend less because there have been several cost-cutting measures put into place this year. He pointed to eliminating some duplicate payments found in insurance costs along with lower engineer and solicitor fees.
The city budgeted revenues of $4.95 million for 2020 and Shorraw said that was because the budget included the expectation of receiving a tax anticipation note in January to pay off some 2019 debt. The expected $500,000 was included as a revenue but not as an expenditure because it was meant for 2019 expenses. The city ended up not getting the tax anticipation loan and Shorraw said the bank indicated including the TAN note as a revenue was part of the problem.
Shorraw said part of the problem was depending on a loan as a revenue without knowing if it will definitely be approved. Next year’s budget does not include a TAN note to correct that issue and Shorraw said the city doesn’t anticipate it would receive such a loan. He hopes the city won’t need one.

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