Abington Heights board sets revenue-neutral millage at 9.225 after county reassessment

The Abington Heights School District board on Wednesday reviewed a county reassessment and approved a revenue-neutral rebalanced millage rate of 9.225, Finance Office presenter Jim Mirabelli said.

"The rebalanced millage rate is 9.225," Mirabelli said as he walked the board through the steps taken to reconcile the county's June 16 final assessment file, pending appeals, new construction and tax-exempt property adjustments. He said the calculation is designed to be revenue neutral and that the Act 1 index millage appearing in the budget document is 9.9129.

Why it matters: the reassessment changed taxpayers' assessed values across the district and required school finance staff to ‘‘rebalance’’ the millage so the district does not automatically collect more revenue simply because assessed values rose. Mirabelli told the board his team accounted for known commercial appeals with appraisals, excluded post-budget new construction growth from the rebalancing equation, and flagged a handful of tax-exempt property discrepancies that the county corrected or the district adjusted for in its calculation.

Public commenter Mark Stoller told the board he viewed the proposed 2026–27 budget as "unbalanced," raising concern that the district was signaling reliance on reserves or future parcel sales. "It's not acceptable this year," Stoller said, urging the board to be more explicit with the community about the reassessment and revenue dynamics.

Chair response and staff clarification: the board chair noted that parcel-sale proceeds cannot be prudently included in an adopted operating budget when the timing and net proceeds are unknown. Superintendent Schafer explained that if a year-end deficit occurs the board would draw from the general fund to balance the books, but that the budget cannot assume uncertain receipts.

Mirabelli and staff also warned that pending tax appeals create uncertainty: a single adverse ruling on a parcel could produce follow-on appeals that reduce assessed values for similar properties. They said analytics comparing last year’s bills to the new data showed roughly 40% of homes trending lower (average decrease about $900) and 60% higher (average increase about $800), but emphasized those are averages and specific cases vary.

Next steps: the board adopted the revenue-neutral millage calculation and will proceed with final budget actions on the agenda. Finance staff recommended continuing outreach to explain reassessment mechanics and the appeals process to residents.