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Crafton staff recommends shifting road tax millage and rethinking Ewing Road repair to reduce costs
Summary
Staff proposed returning most real estate millage to the general fund with a smaller amount to the road fund (6.72 mills general / 1.87 mills road), suggested $400,000 placeholder for paving, and said Ewing Road subsidence may be fixable for far less than Gateway's retaining-wall estimate.
Crafton staff presented a recommendation to change the distribution of real estate tax millage between the general and road funds during the Sept. 24 budget workshop and proposed a plan to revisit paving and Ewing Road repair estimates.
Staff said the borough moved all real estate tax receipts into the general fund this past year. Using the 2024 breakdown, staff reported 6.17 mills into the general fund (about $1.6 million) and 2.42 mills into the road fund (about $630,000). Staff recommended a new split that would place 6.72 mills into the general fund and 1.87 mills into the road fund, noting one mill of Crafton tax yields about $262,000 and 0.1 mill about $26,000 under current assessments.
The presenter said the draft budget currently assumes a $400,000 placeholder for paving next year to provide a buffer; staff called that number conservative and said it could be reduced if paving needs are lower. Council members pressed for clearer estimates of which roads are candidates for next-year paving, with staff saying Fountain Street and an alley behind Linwood Park were notable needs.
Ewing Road: staff and an associate named Larry told council they believe Gateway's recommendation included an expensive, large retaining wall (about $350,000 of the recommendation) that may not be necessary. Staff said the existing retaining wall has not moved and that subsidence, rather than the retaining wall, appears to be the primary issue. If the borough rebuilt only failed sections and recompacted the roadway, staff estimated that a lower-cost in-house repair might cost "probably less than $100,000," and could avoid drawing down road reserves in the short term.
Staff emphasized they and the borough engineer will continue discussions with Gateway to narrow the scope and cost estimate for Ewing Road and other paving work before the next meeting. No formal action or vote was taken; council asked staff to produce more detailed line estimates for paving and brick-street repairs ahead of the next workshop.
