Cranberry Township

CRANBERRY TWP — Township supervisors on Thursday, Dec. 11 approved a 2026 budget of nearly $110 million, with a 2.5-mill real estate tax increase that will launch a new Recreational Investment Fund.

For the average property owner, the increase amounts to under $60 annually. That, in turn, is expected to bring in close to $1.2 million next year in new revenue.

Township officials said the dedicated funding stream will help pay for a wide range of park, trail and open-space improvements as community use continues to increase.

Projects supported by the new fund include upgraded turf for baseball and soccer fields, solar-powered lighting at the UPMC Passavant Sportsplex at Graham Park, additional multipurpose fields and outdoor fitness areas at Community Park North, and various enhancements at Powell Farm, such as irrigation and equipment updates.

The initiatives stem from long-term recreation and open-space plans adopted over the last two years.

The spending plan also keeps existing tax rates for other municipal funds unchanged. The total budget checks in at $109.5 million, including about $29.9 million for general fund operations, and about $41.1 million across enterprise funds, $7.6 million in special revenue accounts and $30.9 million for capital projects.

Cranberry’s millage rate for next year was set at 15.75 mills. That figure includes 8.03 mills for general purposes, 2.37 mills for fire services, 1 mill for public buildings, 0.85 mills for road equipment, 2.5 mills for the new recreation initiative and 1 mill for the library.

Several infrastructure and environmental projects are slated for next year.

Those include a Coal Run watershed study, continued work on the Missing Links Sidewalk Program, improvements to solids handling at the Brush Creek Water Pollution Control Facility, upgrades to the Franklin Acres pump station and the first phase of the Route 19 water line replacement effort.