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Bethel Park council adopts 2026 budget, raises real-estate and income tax to cover rising costs
Summary
Bethel Park Borough Council approved the 2026 fiscal-year budget, a wage-and-salary ordinance, a 1.25% earned-income tax expected to raise $16,315,000, and a 3.79‑mill real-estate rate (plus 0.34 mills for the volunteer fire company); votes passed mostly 5–1 with one dissent.
Bethel Park Borough Council approved a package of fiscal measures on Nov. 10, adopting the borough’s 2026 budget and related tax and personnel ordinances.
Councilor Kamenicki moved to adopt Ordinance 11-10-25-B to approve the 2026 fiscal-year budget for all funds and special purposes; the motion passed by roll call vote 5 to 1. Council also approved a wage-and-salary ordinance for management, supervisory and confidential employees (Ordinance 11-10-25-A) on the same 5–1 tally.
The council approved Ordinance 11-10-25-C to collect earned-income tax revenue estimated at $16,315,000 by levying a 1.25% tax. It passed 5 to 1. Councilors voted to fix the municipal real-estate tax rate for fiscal year 2026 at 3.79 mills for general municipal purposes and 0.34 mills to fund the Bethel Park Volunteer Fire Company in Ordinance 11-10-25-D, which also passed 5 to 1.
"We decided that we needed to do a modest tax increase," Kamenicki said during discussion, adding staff and council reviewed line items closely to limit the increase to roughly 1 percent in operating levies. Council cited higher insurance costs (general liability and health), funding for the asphalt road program, contractual salary agreements and rising garbage costs as drivers for the increase.
Councilor Consulmagno voted no on the wage-and-salary ordinance, the budget and the tax measures. He told the council, "I've been asking for this document that I've received since 2016 since I've been on council. And I haven't received it, so I'll be voting no on the wage and salary ordinance for 2026." The roll calls recorded Consulmagno as the lone dissenting vote on the package; other members voted yes.
The ordinances take effect under the borough’s standard enactment schedule and fund the municipal operations and capital priorities identified in the adopted budget. The council recorded no amendments on the floor. The governing body said staff will continue to monitor costs and provide updates in future meetings.
Next steps: the budget and tax ordinances are now adopted by the council; implementation and accounting will be handled by municipal finance staff and the manager’s office.
