Rostraver Twp. approves 3-mill tax increase
Commissioners said rising health care costs made the hike necessary.
During a special meeting Monday, Rostraver Township commissioners gave final approval to a budget that contains a 3-mill tax increase for property owners.
Commissioner Gary Beck cast the only vote against the 2026 budget, which balances revenues and expenditures at $9.6 million.
“Unfortunately, due to the rise in the health care costs and to be able to provide the services that Rostraver Township provides with the police protection and the road maintenance and winter maintenance,” Township Manager Jeffrey Keffer said, “we do have to increase the taxes to keep up with those costs, and we’re trying to keep it as the minimum that we can keep it.”
The current millage rate is 18 mills, plus an additional 3 mills for fire protection. That will increase to 21 mills, while the fire protection rate will stay at 3 mills.
According to Keffer, the owner of a home assessed at $20,000 will pay an additional $60 a year.
“I feel comfortable telling you that, on average, across the board, in Rostraver Township, that anywhere from $60 to $65 is what the average resident could pay,” Keffer said. “Some residents are going to pay only $20 for 3 mills. Some residents, in a bigger, more expensive home, may pay $200, but the average would be around 60 to $65 for 3 mills of taxes.”
Real estate taxes are the largest source of revenue for the township in the new budget. The largest expenditure is police protection at $3.5 million, with roads/streets falling in second at around $3 million.
Keffer said rising insurance costs for employees are playing a major role in the increase.
“So, industry-wide in the state of Pennsylvania, across the board, the average is like a 17 to 20% increase from last year to this year in health care,” Keffer said. “We were fortunate that ours only went up 10 to 12%, depending on what group you were in, whether it was retirees or if you were police or if you were road department.”
This was the first year the township brought its refuse program in-house, but Keffer said that move has not cost the township additional money. Funds to maintain the garbage department are raised ROSTRAVER TWP. •A2
“I feel comfortable telling you that, on average, across the board, in Rostraver Township, that anywhere from $60 to $65 is what the average resident could pay.”
JEFFREY KEFFER
TOWNSHIP MANAGER from the bills that residents pay for the service.
“No tax revenue is used for garbage,” he said. “The garbage department that we have taken in-house is wholly independent. We pay the employees, and we pay for the trucks, the maintenance, anything and any expenses related to garbage come from the garbage bills that we send out to the residents.”
The township recently dissolved the board of the Rostraver Sewage Authority, and Keffer said that will also not incur additional costs for the township. He said the township has always had full ownership of the authority, and it also pays for itself like the garbage department.
Board President Jeffrey Johnson and Vice President Devin DeRienzo said rising costs had a large impact on the budget. DeRienzo said their insurance alone had increased by $237,000.
“We went down every line item where we thought we could make some adjustments, and the only way to balance the budget was to either lay off people or reduce services, right?” Johnson said. “And we decided we were not going to do that. Really, there was no alternative made in our meeting. No one can come up with an alternative.”
