Munhall council to advertise expanded tax-exemption plan after planning commission backs including residential properties
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Summary
Council will advertise an ordinance to create a tax-exemption program (referred to as ALERTA) and hold a public hearing Sept. 16; the planning commission recommended expanding the program to include residential improvements and new construction, contingent on school district participation.
Munhall Borough Council voted Aug. 19 to advertise an ordinance establishing a real estate tax-exemption program known in the record as the ALERTA ordinance and to hold a public hearing on Sept. 16, 2025. The council and planning commission have discussed whether the program should cover residential properties in addition to industrial, commercial and business improvements.
A council member who attended the planning commission hearing reported that the commission recommended adoption but had urged the borough to include residential property. The transcript records that the council member said the statutory authority cited in the draft (a Pennsylvania statute authorizing tax exemptions for improvements to industrial, commercial and business property) does not by itself include residential property; the planning commission pressed for residential inclusion and the school district sign-off was described as a necessary condition for the program’s local expansion.
At the meeting the borough solicitor advised council they could advertise the ordinance now and proceed with the statutory steps (including setting the deteriorated area boundaries and sharing with the county) or wait for a revised draft that incorporates residential language. The solicitor said doing a revision would delay the schedule by about a month but that the overall concept remains the same.
Council voted to advertise the ordinance for public hearing and to set the public hearing on Sept. 16. The transcript shows council members discussed next steps: designating the geographic limits of the deteriorated area, sharing the proposal with the county, and confirming whether the school district will participate, because the local program requires intergovernmental coordination to affect school tax receipts.
The record does not show final adoption; the advertisement and public hearing were the formal actions taken at the Aug. 19 meeting.