Real estate agent weighs in on 46% property tax increase included in Innamorato’s budget proposal

ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato announced her first budget proposal which includes a more than 46% property tax increase. If approved, it would be the first time property taxes increased in the county in more than a decade, but with the current economy, homeowners who spoke with told Channel 11 News this couldn’t have come at a worse time.

“It’s going to cost you more and more money out of pocket,” said Julie Welter, a real estate agent with Compass.

Welter said the proposed property tax increase will impact all homeowners, especially those living on a fixed income like seniors.

“A lot of them may not have an additional 200, 400, 600, 800 more dollars,” she explained.

Currently, Allegheny County’s property tax is 4.73 millage for an individual homeowner. The proposal would raise it to 6.93 millage. For example, if approved, a home assessed at $110,000 would pay an additional $182 per year in property taxes. However, according to Redfin, the average home in Allegheny County is worth $260,000, meaning homeowners would see a nearly $400 increase in taxes.

According to Innamorato, the increase is necessary to offset a growing county deficit of $81 million:

“The county has been running a deficit for the last several years. While county reserve funds and federal COVID relief were able to fill the growing deficit since 2021, those options are exhausted. Since the county hasn’t had a millage adjustment since 2012, we have not adjusted revenues to meet what the county has been spending for years and needs to continue to spend to deliver the essential services people rely on us for.”

Welter said while she understands there is a county deficit, she believes there are other options to lessen the burden for taxpayers, by getting rid of blighted homes that have gone years with unpaid taxes.

“The city owns them, and they aren’t selling them, so I think that the easiest way to unburden taxpayers because we are all paying for those homes, is to sell them and get new homeowners,” Welter said.

Welter said if that doesn’t happen then county residents will be hit twice; first with a tax increase, and then with a county-wide reassessment that will likely increase the value of many homes.

Homeowners we spoke with told us this proposed increase couldn’t have come at a worse time.

“I believe that the council and the county should budget better,” said Shane Callahan.

“I think it’s a really rough time right now because no one is actually making more money.” Chelsea Hoffman, an Allegheny County resident, said.

There will be three public budget meetings ahead of the council vote in December.

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