N. Strabane Preliminary Budget Includes Tax Hike

North Strabane Supervisors met Tuesday night and the largest action item on the agenda was the adoption of a preliminary 2021 budget. Township Manager Andrew Walz presented the $30,170,570 budget that does include a .5 mil tax increase to residents. That tax is divided between two categories. The fire department will receive .35 mil of that tax increase, parks and recreation will receive the remaining .15 mil. Both of those departments have been running deficits for over 5 years, this tax increase is designed to halt that practice. Walz states that the township has not had a tax increase since 1992 and in fact has had two tax cuts in the last ten years. The budget passed on a 3-2 margin with supervisors Harold Close and Marcus Staley dissenting. Close agrees with the tax increase for the fire department but does not agree a tax increase is needed for parks and recreation. He believes the department can be funded in other ways. The budget will be formally adopted in December.