Sharp disparity in local property taxes
Gov. Tom Wolf has made fairness the centerpiece of his proposal to mandate a $25 fee per resident for municipalities which rely solely on state police for protection.
Wolf said it’s simply not fair for some municipalities who have to pay for their own police department plus the state police, while other municipalities only have to pay for state police.
And nowhere is that fairness issue more sharper than it is in Fayette County where 15 of 42 municipalities have their own police departments.
The money these municipalities is sizable with Uniontown heading the list with a police budget of $2,403,574, according to the numbers were compiled by the Patriot-News in Harrisburg from 2014 figures supplied by the state Department of Community & Economic Development.
Here are the police department budgets for the other municipalities; Connellsville City, $1,455,856, Masontown Borough, $368,292; Washington Township, 340,079; Perryopolis Borough, $172,218 Redstone Township, $144,290; Brownsille Borough, $122,673; South Connellsville Borough, $99,179; Luzerne Township, $66,981; Dunbar Borough, $47,515; Fairchance Borough, $44,143; Everson Borough, $38,726; Fayette City Borough, $27,224 and Smithfield Borough, $12,325.
The issue is particularly magnified in Uniontown and Connellsville where residents in those cities are paying substantially more in property taxes than those in neighboring municipalities. Consider that Uniontown’s millage rate is 12.235 while neighboring North Union and South Union township’s millage rates are .44 and .6, respectively.
Connellsville’s millage rate is 8.25 while the millage rates in neighboring Bullskin, Connellsville and Dunbar townships are .45, 1.03 and .5, respectively.
It all means that a resident in Uniontown is paying $1,223 in property taxes on a house assessed at $100,000, while residents in North Union and South Union townships are paying $43 and $60, respectively, for a house assessed at the same value.
In Connellsville, city residents are paying $825 in property taxes on a house assessed at $100,000 while residents in Bullskin, Connellsville and Dunbar township are paying $45, $103 and $50 respectively.
Of course, the police budgets might not be the only reason for the disparity in taxes. There are numerous other factors, and you have to consider the possibility that the townships might be more efficient in spending their money than the cities.
But you have to think police budgets are at least a contributing factor to the big tax bills. And it stands to reason that the huge property taxes are part of the reason why Uniontown and Connellsville have lost so much population in recent years.
Uniontown’s population has dropped almost in half from 16,282 in 1970 to an estimated 9,990 in 2015. Connellsville has seen its population plummet from 11,643 in 1970 to 7,515 in 2015.
Consider also that according to U.S. Census Bureau figures for 2014, 59.33 percent of properties in Uniontown were renter-occupied, with 40.67 percent being percent owner-occupied. The percentage of renters was 33 percent greater in Uniontown than in Fayette County as a whole.
What will be interesting to watch is the reaction of local lawmakers to Gov. Wolf’s proposal and the disparity in taxes. All the local lawmakers represent both municipalities with their own police department and those who rely solely on state police.
This issue has been raised in the past and lawmakers have generally sided with their constituents who lived in municipalities relying solely on state police. Residents and officials in those in those municipalities have spoken out very strongly against paying anything for state police, and they’ve had their way.
But things could be different now For one thing, the growing disparity in property taxes might prompt residents and officials in municipalties with their own police departments to speak out in favor of Wolf’s proposal.
But more importantly, the state is facing some severe financial problems, the likes of which we haven’t seen in quite some time. Faced with a budget deficit estimated at $500 million, lawmakers might agree to some kind of fee to help balance the books.
There’s also a looming question of funding for the state police. The agency has 500 vacancies on the 4,600 trooper force and is approaching a tipping point when 1,000 troopers reach eligibility for retirement this summer. Over the next several years, it’s estimated that half the troopers will be eligible for retirement.
It costs about $10 million to train a class of 100 troopers, so replacing all the troopers is going to be very expensive. Gov. Wolf’s proposal would help in that regard, raising $63 million to train new troopers.
One other option might be to cut back on the number of troopers across the commonwealth. Of course, no one wants to see that happen. But that will be among the tough choices facing lawmakers in the upcoming months. And no matter what they decide, taxpayers will be footing the bill.
Mark O’Keefe is the editorial page editor for the 蘑菇视频. He can be reached by phone at 724-439-7569, by email at mokeefe@heraldstandard.com or regular mail at 8 Church St., Uniontown, Pa., 15401.