Buffalo Township raises real estate tax for second straight year
BUFFALO TWP — Buffalo Township passed a balanced budget for 2024 at its monthly board of supervisors meeting on Wednesday night, Dec. 13.
To do so, the township raised its real estate tax rate from 7.5 mills to 9.5 mills.
This marks the second year in a row that Buffalo Township has raised its real estate tax rate. One year ago, the township raised the rate to 7.5 mills from 6 mills.
Township manager Rich Hill tried to soften the blow by reminding residents that the township is responsible for receiving only a tiny sliver of the taxes they pay each year.
“We're only taking 5% of your total tax bill,” Hill said. “The school is the majority of your tax bill.”
Currently, Freeport Area School District represents the vast majority of the tax bill for township residents, as its property tax rate is 170.3 mills, by far the largest of any school district in Butler County. The county’s own property tax rate is 27.626 mills.
According to calculations from AnytimeEstimate.com, the tax bill would total $4,978.22 for a home with an assessed value of $24,000. Of that amount, $4,087 would go to the school district, $663 would go to the county, and only $228, less than 5%, would go to the township.
Under the previous township millage rate, that home would net $180 for the township.
Hill also tried to reassure residents by telling them their taxes were paying for plenty of useful services that some other surrounding townships did not offer.
“For that $228, you’re getting 24-hour police coverage and 24-hour fire department coverage,” Hill said. “So to me that’s a pretty good bargain.”
Still, the increase didn’t sit well with some residents who attended the meeting, with some saying they were retired and on fixed incomes while their taxes were on the rise.
One resident at the meeting who didn’t give his name said, “You’re going to price all us old people out of this place.”
Township supervisor Michael Oehling Jr. said the tax increase was necessary to balance the budget for the year, even though the township now expects to enforce and collect additional franchise fees from the Armstrong cable company.
“The township has historically kept taxes at the same rate for 20 years,” said Oehling. “We’re having to play catch-up now while the school district is raising your bill. Every year we’re forced to make changes. There’s nothing else to cut.”
Fellow supervisor Ron Zampogna told residents that even with the increase, their property tax rate was a bargain considering what services it paid for.
“Look at what we spend on our police force now,” Zampogna said. “There's other municipalities that don't have a police force and they get the state guys. I feel like we're blessed to have a police force like we do, and a road crew like we do.”
