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North Versailles Township adopts 2025 budget, approves police car grant request and multiple routine actions
Summary
The Board of Commissioners on Dec. 19 adopted a $8.93 million township budget for 2025, kept the tax millage at 7.25 mills, ratified grant requests including a $156,075 Local Share Assessment request for police cars, approved multiple condemnations and personnel changes, and authorized vehicle sales and a treasurer pay increase.
North Versailles Township’s Board of Commissioners adopted the township’s 2025 budget and passed a slate of routine motions at its Dec. 19 meeting.
The board adopted a 2025 General Fund budget of $8,926,213, a Liquid Fuels Fund of $310,621 and a Fire Tax Fund of $219,050 and kept the township’s tax millage at 7.25 mills for general funds and 0.5 mills for the fire tax. President Jim Bivins presided; Manager Joe Varhola was designated as the township’s official for grant applications.
Why it matters: the adopted budget sets operating resources for township departments and maintains the current property tax levy, affecting municipal services and spending levels for the year ahead.
In other finance items, commissioners approved payment of bills from the General Fund ($124,586.74) and the Liquid Fuels Fund ($61,408.92). The board ratified Resolution 2024-10 to formally request a Statewide Local Share Assessment grant to purchase police vehicles in the amount of $156,075 and approved Resolution 2024-11 to seek PA Strategic Investments grants or loans for development projects.
The board approved condemnation adjudications for five properties (3101 Fifth Ave; 1500 Herbert St.; 205 Oakdale Rd.; 111 Versailles Ave.; 143 Emma St.) as part of its code-enforcement actions. Commissioners also approved a detailed list of tax refunds and exonerations for multiple parcels across tax years 2022–2024; the meeting record provides assessed values, amounts paid and refund amounts for each listed parcel but does not include a consolidated refund total.
Personnel and operations votes included a 3% pay increase for administration and non-union employees, promotion of Jim Bivins to Public Works Director at a salary of $75,000, and hiring Merle Pusey as a public works laborer under the collective bargaining agreement. The board also approved advertising specifications for the Naser Road sanitary sewer relocation project.
On fleet and finance matters the commissioners authorized sales of used vehicles to the lowest bidders (listed by VIN and bidder in the motion), approved a donation of a 2013 Ford Interceptor to West Wilmerding Volunteer Fire Company, and approved increasing the treasurer’s salary from $7,500 to $10,000. The board authorized advertising for a Code Enforcement Officer.
Public comments were noted at the start of the meeting: Elizabeth Didiano spoke regarding Motions 1 and 18; Janice Shehand addressed township boards and committees; Bill Wesley spoke about the garbage bill; and Carol Boros commented regarding Motion 3. The transcript lists the topics each speaker addressed but does not include verbatim remarks in the meeting record provided.
Votes at a glance: the record shows each motion carried as recorded. Motion 9 adopted the 2025 township budget and the 2025 tax millage; Motion 10 adopted the Sanitary Authority budget; Motion 3 ratified Resolution 2024-10 (Local Share Assessment grant request for police cars); Motion 8 approved listed condemnation adjudications; Motion 12 promoted Jim Bivins to Public Works Director; Motion 18 raised the treasurer’s salary to $10,000. Where the meeting log records mover/second initials (for example, GT, JK, RS, LB, SJ) those initials are shown in the official motion entries; the transcript does not map those initials to full, first-and-last names in the portion provided.
The meeting adjourned at 7:53 p.m.
