Lock Haven real estate taxes unchanged for 2023
LOCK HAVEN, PA – City council Monday night moved to adopt Lock Haven’s proposed budget for 2023. As presented by City Manager Greg Wilson, it amounts to $6.1 million for the general fund and $14.6 million when all major funds are included. And the document keeps the city’s real estate tax unchanged in the new year.
As passed on first reading Monday night, the two-tiered real estate millage is 28 mills on land and 6.1 mills on improvements. Those numbers are the same as in 2022 (which saw the 2021 council approve a nine percent hike in the real estate levy, the first for city property owners since 2015).
The budget was presented to council Monday night and circulated to the media and posted on the city website on Tuesday. Council budget hearings on the document will be held on Nov. 14 and 21 with a final adoption set for Dec. 5.
In his budget message, Wilson pointed out a new fund for next year, for Stormwater Management, which will account for revenues from the new stormwater management fee and the expenditure of those funds for improvements to the city’s existing system.
Also, Wilson said, the city will be hiring a new property maintenance officer and a proposed Planner III to expand what the city manager said was “the city’s already significant grant application and administration program as more federal and state funds are becoming available” especially regarding the city’s public works in sewer and water.
In what he termed “very encouraging news,” the city will be meeting with representatives from Wayne and Castanea Townships in the new year to discuss the formation of a joint municipal authority to govern the water system which serves all three municipalities.
Wilson’s budget document included his thanks for the many involved in the budget preparation process and its implementation. He noted the city has 68 fulltime and part-time employees, serves more than 8,000 residents and more than 3,000 water and sewer customers.
