11/07/2025
Open Letter to the Residents of Oakdale Borough
From the Office of the Mayor and Borough Council
In an effort to maintain complete transparency, we want to share the following information regarding the 2026 Borough Budget.
Dear Residents of Oakdale,
As we prepare to advertise the Borough’s 2026 Budget, we want to take this opportunity to share some important information with you. The proposed budget is balanced, streamlined, and includes significant reductions in spending. However, after ten years of maintaining a steady tax rate, this year’s budget does include a millage increase of 3 mills.
This decision was not made lightly. Over the past decade, the Borough has faced increasing costs while seeing a decline in both millage revenue and earned income tax revenue. Millage remains the primary source of funding for municipalities, and this adjustment is necessary to ensure that Oakdale Borough remains financially stable and able to provide the services our residents expect and deserve.
A major factor in this increase is our continued and growing support for public safety. Since 2020, police wages alone have increased from $140,500 to $233,600, and we have also added $38,000 annually for fire department wages, in addition to the $30,000 yearly contribution toward fire apparatus and equipment. These increases alone over the past five years are more than the equivalent of two mills. Our current millage rate no longer covers these essential costs—let alone the other expenses required to operate the Borough. This increase will help us “right the ship” and ensure that our police and fire departments remain properly staffed, trained, and equipped to serve you.
To put this in perspective according to our tax collector, one mill in a community our size generates only between $60,000 to $65,000. Even with this increase, Oakdale Borough will remain in the average range of municipalities similar to ours in size and service level.
We understand that any increase affects our residents, and we share in that responsibility as members of this community. That’s why, alongside this adjustment, we have worked diligently to cut and minimize spending wherever possible. In addition, although our water supplier has announced an increase for 2026, the Borough has taken steps to absorb that cost for this year so that residents will not see a rise in water rates. Unfortunately, sewage and trash services are pass-through costs and cannot be offset by the Borough.
We are also launching a comprehensive study in collaboration with our water supplier to explore further ways to contain costs and improve efficiency in the future.
Please know that this Mayor and Council are fully committed to responsible financial management, transparency, and the well-being of our community. The millage increase is a necessary step toward a positive and sustainable future for Oakdale Borough—one that ensures we can continue to provide essential services, maintain public safety, and invest in the community we are all proud to call home.
Thank you for your understanding, trust, and continued support.
Sincerely,
The Mayor and Borough Council of Oakdale Borough
*Note that millage amounts are based on your homes assessed value, not market value. The link to find that amount is: https://realestate.alleghenycounty.us