Murrysville

Property taxes are expected to increase 1.25 mills, and Murrysville also will tap its reserve funds to balance next year's proposed $13.36 million budget, which includes $9.6 million in operating expenses and $3.73 million for capital spending.

The municipality also intends to make interdepartmental transfers of almost $1.4 million to reduce the anticipated shortfall.

The tax hike will bring the new rate to 12.40 mills. The current rate is 11.15 mills. One mill generates $294,000.

The five-year capital improvements program, which begins in 2006, includes $1.9 million for four new firetrucks, three police vehicles, two dump trucks and an ambulance for Medic One, plus street and infrastructure proj- ects at annual costs from $1.5 million to $1.75 million.

A 2-mill increase had been anticipated in September when the capital-spending program had its first public hearing. Since then, department heads, council members and the finance department "reconsidered wishes and concentrated on needs" to bring the increase down, according to Mayor Joyce Somers.

Council will hold a public hearing on the 2006 budget at 7 p.m. Dec. 14. Workshops are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Nov. 30 and 9 a.m. Dec. 10. Council could vote on the budget as early as its next regular meeting on Dec. 14 or at the Dec. 28 meeting.

Six council votes are needed to approve a tax increase.
-- N. Blithe Runsdorf

North Huntingdon

Commissioners and Baldock Development Partnership have entered into an agreement that moves the construction of a Wal-Mart superstore in the proposed Mills Pointe shopping center one step closer to reality.

The 200,000-square-foot store will be the core store in the Mills Pointe development and adjacent 75,000-square-foot shopping mall that is planned on 57 acres off Route 30.

The Mills Point project, first proposed in 2002, has been in limbo for more than three years as township officials, developers and a group of residents haggled over issues.

Commissioners approved the Mills Pointe project in 2003 but attached 22 conditions. Developers, then known as Barnes Lake Partnership, appealed the conditions in Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas. Judge Daniel J. Ackerman threw out five of the township's conditions and modified a sixth.

The main condition blocking the project called for developers to show $6 million as a line item in a state or federal budget to fund widening of Route 30 between a relocated Barnes Lake Road and the Irwin Interchange of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Commissioners were assured during meetings of township and PennDOT officials that the $6 million for the Route 30 widening was in the state long-range Capital budget, Solicitor Craig Alexander said. However, actual work on the widening may not start this decade.
-- Norm Vargo

Commissioners voted 4-3 last week to adopt a $10.9 million, 2006 operating budget that includes a 2-mill property tax increase. That will raise the millage from 8.23 to 10.23; 1 mill will generate $315,000.

An average property owner will see a $25 increase.

In addition, the board unani- mously approved a $52 Emergen- cy Services Tax that is expected to generate $543,000.

Commissioners John Thornton, Angelo Furlin and Donald Austin voted against the budget. They questioned why an anticipated $2.5 million surplus at the end of this year was not used to balance the spending plan.

Board Chairman Thomas Kerber called accumulating a surplus to carry over into next year "just smart business."

-- Norm Vargo

In sports

The Greensburg Central Catholic girls' soccer team ran out of gas Saturday in Hershey as it dropped the PIAA Class AA championship match to Villa Joseph Marie, 4-2.