BLAIRSVILLE — At its monthly meeting Tuesday, Blairsville Borough Council prepared for next year by advertising its 2025 budget, which will include a tax increase. Should the increase be approved, residents with an average home value of around $94,000 can expect to see an increase of $95 per year, or $8 per month as the millage rate increases for the first time since 2019. The new millage, an increase of one to 5.
26 mills, is in reaction to rising costs the borough faces in the upcoming year, according to Borough Manager and Secretary Jody Poorbaugh. “Over the last five or six years, we have incurred costs from our vendors. Over those years our health insurance has gone up — by nine percent this year.
Our liability insurance has increased by seven percent as well.” In addition to those costs, new contracts with the Teamsters and Laborers unions were approved by the borough. Both contracts include a 6 percent wage increase for next year, and more than 4 percent for 2026 to 2028.
These wage increases were made to help combat an increasing cost of living, according to Poorbaugh. Borough council also approved four resolutions to pursue grants to take care of multiple public projects. These include Resolution 180, a $50,000 Appalachian Regional Commission grant to upgrade software and computers for Blairsville Borough Police Department and to acquire ordinance codification software; Resolution 181, a Local Share Account grant to install insulation in police facilities; Res.