Property tax hike hasn’t been considered in Monongahela

City officials clarify that it’s far too early to begin that process.

City officials say no property tax increase has been proposed for 2027 as Monongahela begins the early stages of its budget process, clarifying inaccurate information published in an Aug. 14 Mon Valley Independent story.

Councilman Roy Sarver, director of accounts and finance, said department heads have only begun gathering information and preparing their individual budgets, with formal budget discussions still weeks away. “We’re not even close to that yet,” Sarver said of considering a tax increase.

Mayor Greg Garry said the city is doing reasonably well financially at this point, although he does not believe Monongahela is in a position to lower taxes.

“Right now, yes, I would say we’re doing OK,” Garry said. “I would have liked to have lowered taxes this year, but I don’t think we’re in a position to determine that right now.”

For now, Sarver said department heads are working on their individual spending plans. He has asked them to begin preparing their 2027 budgets with $13,000 less in expenses than in 2026 as a starting point.

The city likely will not begin meeting with department heads to review preliminary budget proposals until late October, Sarver said.

Each department is working to control expenses as the costs of goods and services continue to rise.

“They’re trying to control those expenses,” Sarver said, adding departments seek the lowest possible prices when making purchases.

Sarver said the numbers submitted by individual departments will give council a clearer picture of the city’s needs for next year and where savings might be possible.

That process has only just begun. Until department budgets are submitted and council begins reviewing the numbers, Sarver said officials cannot know what decisions ultimately will be necessary.

Garry said the city will continue working to manage its finances responsibly as that process unfolds.

“We’re doing our due diligence to make sure that we are fiscally responsible,” he said.

The preliminary work on the 2027 spending plan comes after council approved a 2-mill property tax increase as part of its 2026 budget.

Council raised the city’s property tax rate from 9.75 to 11.75 mills when it approved the current spending plan last year.

Sarver said the city had gone several years without a significant property tax increase before its more recent increases while the cost of providing services continue to rise.

As officials begin looking toward 2027, neither Sarver nor Garry said the city is far enough into the process to determine what ultimately will be necessary to balance next year’s budget.

Both said another tax increase is something they prefer to avoid.

“All of us on council live in Monongahela,” Sarver said. “So there’s our taxes that would increase, too. Nobody on that council wants a tax increase.”

Garry echoed that sentiment. “Everybody pays taxes, even us,” he said. “So no one wants to increase, and that’s for darn sure.”

For now, however, council does not have the information necessary to make decisions about the 2027 tax rate.

Department heads will spend the coming weeks developing their proposed budgets before council begins reviewing revenues and expenditures and working toward a preliminary spending plan.

Correcting the record

The Aug. 14 MVI story, headlined “Residents voice opposition to property tax hike,” inaccurately reported that possible proposals to increase property taxes were under consideration for next year.

No property tax increase had been proposed, and Sarver said council had not discussed an increase during the work session referenced in the story.

The story attributed a resident claiming that Sarver said during a council work session that city property owners could expect a significant tax increase.

Sarver said the resident was not present at that work session and that council did not discuss a property tax increase during it.

“We didn’t even discuss that at that work session,” Sarver said.

The Aug. 14 story also inaccurately described the executive session that preceded the council meeting, reporting that council members were arguing and screaming loudly enough to be heard by residents and that police Chief Kevin Harris had to intervene several times.

No one was asked to quiet down during the executive session, and Harris did not intervene to settle an argument. Sarver said Harris went downstairs at one point to check on when the executive session would conclude.

Another portion of the story incorrectly reported that four employees had been hired to manage the city’s payroll and that payroll costs had increased from approximately $40,000 for one employee to more than $200,000 for four employees.

The city has not hired additional employees to handle payroll. City Clerk Amber Crawford continues to handle payroll, as she has in the past.

The Aug. 14 story attributed the payroll allegation to longtime city resident Sally Woods during its account of the public-comment portion of the meeting. Sarver said Woods did not make that allegation during the public forum.

FROMA1