FINANCE DIRECTOR
Andrew McCreery

PH: 412-343-3410
FX: 412-343-2208
amccreery@mtlebanon.org

Visit the Finance website

TREASURY MANAGER
Mary Abbott

PH: 412-343-3405
FX: 412-343-4560
 mabbott@mtlebanon.org

Visit the Tax webiste

The tax office accounts for all municipal revenue collections. The treasurer/tax collector is responsible for the collection, deposit and reporting of taxes for the Municipality and Mt. Lebanon School District, including real estate tax and liened real estate tax. Collection costs are shared between the taxing bodies. Earned income tax and local services tax are collected by a third party.

Real Estate Taxes

The Mt. Lebanon Commission and School Board determine the annual millage rate at the time that each of their budgets are adopted. The municipal budget is adopted in December and the school district budget in May.

On June 1 of each year, the Mt. Lebanon Treasurer mails the municipal and school district real estate tax bills. You receive a 2 percent discount if you pay your taxes by July 31, and you are subject to a 10 percent penalty if your taxes aren’t paid by November 30.

Mt. Lebanon School District offers an installment program. You have the option of paying half the amount by September 30, and the other half in two installments; one by December 31 and the final installment on the last day of February of the following year.

Earned Income Tax Final Returns are due July 15 this year. All final returns should be filed with Jordan Tax Service, 102 Rahway Road, McMurray, PA 15317.

Stormwater Fee

In 2011, the Mt. Lebanon Commission voted to establish a stormwater fund by collecting a small monthly fee from property owners based on their amount of impervious property—property covered with asphalt or other materials that will not absorb rainwater. Single-family households are assessed a monthly fee of $8. The money funds operations and maintenance of the stormwater infrastructure, administration of Mt. Lebanon’s federally mandated municipal permit requirements, engineering and technical review staff, and design and construction of capital improvements. It also will pay for water quality monitoring and management systems required by the federal government under the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), an unfunded federal mandate.

Finance Department

The Mt. Lebanon Finance Department is responsible for overseeing an operating budget of $40.5 million and a total combined budget of $68 million.

The municipal budgeting process begins in the summer, as department heads work with the finance department and the municipal manager on their requests for service.

Mt. Lebanon uses a modified zero-based budget system. This means each level of service in each department is justified anew each year and given a separate funding cost. This year, department heads and staff officers requested funding for a total of 260 units. The municipal manager then prioritizes the requested services and recommends funding as many as are possible with the projected revenue.

For example, the police department listed three levels of funding for school crossing guards. Level 1 is the employment of the 41 crossing guards and 15 substitutes for the length of the school year, at a cost of $502,900; Level 2 calls for a full-time civilian supervisor to handle schedules, payroll and call-offs as well as training and day-to-day problems, at $71,010. These two levels represent the current level of service. Level 3, Enhanced Crossing Guard Services, calls for hiring four more guards and two more substitutes to cover additional crossing guard posts as student pedestrian traffic increases, at an additional cost of $56,700. Level 3 was not funded.

The recommended budget must be made available to the public by November 1. The commission holds a series of public hearings and workshops to gather residents’ input before voting to adopt the budget in December.

The department has received numerous national awards for its financial reporting, and its financial practices have paid off with a bond rating of Aa2 from Moody’s, Inc., one of the top three credit rating firms, which affords excellent options when the municipality issues bonds.

2020 Tax Rates

Millage (a mill is $1 for every $1,000 of assessed property value)

Mt. Lebanon Municipality – 4.71
Mt. Lebanon School District – 24.79
Allegheny County – 4.73

EIT Rate

Mt. Lebanon Municipality – 0.8%
Mt. Lebanon School District – 0.5%