Armstrong Taxpayers Face 3.75% Hike

The City of Armstrong has presented an operating budget for 2017 of $6.32 million dollars.

It will see property owners facing a 3.75% hike which based on an average assessment of $325-thousand dollars but really only translates into a $28 increase for the year.

Mayor Chris Pieper says most of the increase is to pay for a major infrastructure upgrade to Patterson Avenue from Becker to Kindale.

“It’s almost $900,000. We’ve been saving for that for a bit but we are looking forward to putting in a new road, new sidewalks and storm sewer, water lines, the whole nine yards.”

Policing costs are also going up significantly in Armstrong now that the community’s population has surpassed 5,000. It is expected to be upwards of a half million this year compared to last.

“Up until 2016, we paid approximately $240,000 a year. That will approximately double this year, so there will be a substantial increase directly for policing.”

Residents are also seeing water user fees going up slightly according to Pieper.

“This year we’re looking at a $12 dollar increase for water. It represents a ten per cent increase, but its still an increase. We are trying to balance off the actual cost with the actual use of water.”