By Betsy Brewer Brantner
Contributing Writer

After difficult budget discussions, the proposed tax rate in the Borough of Oxford could jump by 6.16 percent, increasing the millage rate to 14.5 mills.

“The Finance Committee discussed the budget extensively,” Borough Manager Pauline Garcia-Allen said at a recent meeting. “The committee recommended the increase. We have significant challenges and will have to do a millage increase of .0841 which will bring the current rate to 14.5 mills.”  

Oxford Borough Council authorized the advertising of the ordinances related to the budget and the establishment of a new millage rate for 2026.

Municipalities do not always get the information they need in a timely manner. Officials know this to be true, so as the year goes on, they are studying the budget to keep a careful eye on the budget numbers for each department. In the case of Oxford Borough, officials did not receive the real estate evaluation until recently. They had hoped the total assessed value of properties would have increased more, but the year-to-year increase totaled just 1.25 percent.

Treasurer Arlene Harrison did a deep dive into the real estate collection and discovered that the collection rate was good. However, the costs of a lot of services and products used by the borough have increased more than the total assessed value of real estate in the borough.

Garcia-Allen said, “We have the third highest millage in the county with Parkesburg coming in first and Coatesville second.”

There are a number of items having a significant impact on the borough’s budget, including increased costs for fire and emergency management services, rate increases for water from the Chester Water Authority, and stormwater issues on Public Works property. The costs of services have risen across the board, and there are large unfunded mandates related to MS4 requirements.

It is difficult to know when an unfunded mandate will hit a municipality. Sometimes, municipalities get a heads-up when a mandate is coming, but what they do not receive is funding for the mandate. The MS4 program in Pennsylvania is an unfunded federal mandate that requires municipalities to manage and reduce stormwater pollution from the storm sewer systems to comply with the Clean Water Act. Because the federal and state governments do not provide sufficient funding for the required infrastructure upgrades, engineering, and management plans, municipalities must pay for these costs themselves, often through stormwater fees or other local taxes. 

The MS4 program must include public education and outreach, public participation, illicit discharge detection and elimination, construction site runoff control, post-construction runoff control, and pollution prevention and good housekeeping.

The costs for engineering, infrastructure upgrades, and the creation and implementation of management plans fall directly to local municipalities. To fund these requirements, municipalities must either raise local taxes or, more commonly, implement stormwater fees. These fees are often charged directly to residents and businesses to pay for the required stormwater management. 

How to fund the costs is being determined by an ongoing legal battle involving the Borough of West Chester v. The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

In 2023, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court ruled that West Chester's stormwater fee was an unlawful tax, but this decision was appealed to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and is a critical case for how municipalities can fund stormwater management requirements.

The Borough of West Chester imposed a stormwater fee on properties, including West Chester University, to fund its obligations under the state's MS4 permit program. The university challenged the fee, arguing it was an unlawful tax, not a fee for service, and that the borough lacked the authority to impose it. The Commonwealth Court sided with the university, stating that the fee was a tax because it did not correlate with the benefit received and was not a “fee for service” in a transactional sense. That court case continues.

In other business at the council meeting, Pastor Larry Powell from the Oxford Church of the Nazarene addressed council regarding a building permit. He was replacing a roof and said he wasn’t aware he needed a building permit for that.

“I just wanted to say that I didn’t knowingly not get a building permit,” he said.

Garcia-Allen said he would unfortunately have to pay a fine, per the ordinance. 

Oxford Borough Police Chief Sam Iacono presented his report to council, explaining that the department had 576 calls for the month. He also said that the Oxford Police Department provided assistance at the Lincoln Homecoming event when a shooting occurred.

“We did get compliments for the good job we did during that. We assisted Chester County detectives with body cameras,” he said.

On a lighter note he told council that Sgt. Chris Coverly talked about the history of the Oxford Police Department at Ware Presbyterian Village recently.

Iacono also expressed concern over the passing of Corporal Donnie Myers, who had worked for the Oxford Police Department for 29 years. He said there will be a celebration of his life at a later date.

Mayor Phil Harris said that the annual toy drive will be handled differently this year. It is usually held on Christmas Eve, but Santa will be coming into Oxford by train on November 29. He will be in the borough from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and will be handing out toys from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Oxford Borough solicitor Stacey Fuller reminded council members that they will be voting on advertising the updated property ordinance. 

She added, “It does include chickens and bees in the Borough with certain stipulations.”

She also explained that she continues to work on Sycamore Crossing and the Commercial Use and Occupancy Permit.

Garcia-Allen explained to council that she and employees are revamping the newsletter that is sent out with the water bills. They will be working with OMI and a media company to defray the costs of the newsletter. They are proposing a 12-page newsletter, front and back, with content from OMI and the borough. The cost will be divided between OMI and the borough. More information will be forthcoming.

Garcia-Allen also noted that the Pennsylvania state budget had been finalized and approved, months after the initial deadline.

“State Senator Comitta’s office reached out to us about grant applications we applied for. Hopefully, we will hear something soon,” she said.

Oxford Borough Council approved the following:

• Authorization to advertise the budget notice and schedule adoption of the 2026 budget for December 15, 2025;
• Authorization to advertise the ordinance establishing the millage rate for 2026;
• Authorization to advertise amendments to Chapter 2, Animals, of the Oxford Borough Code, to add new Part 2, Beekeeping, and new Part 3, Domesticated Chickens;
• Oxford Mainstreet, Inc. Special Event Permit Application for the Santa Train event on Saturday, November 29, 2025 from 10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. on the rail line and in the parking lot of Oxford Feed & Lumber. This event also coincides with Small Business Saturday;
• Letter of Support for St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church’s request to the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement Fund (PHARE) to support the redevelopment of an underutilized home on church property into transitional housing;
• Historical Architectural Review Board (HARB) Certificate of Appropriateness for 640 Market Street;
• Historical Architectural Review Board (HARB) determination for 114-116 E. Locust Street. It was noted that the $600 fine for building without a building permit is the owner’s responsibility.
• MECO Construction, Inc. pay application No. 1 in the amount of $46,383.75 for the Mt. Vernon Street “Dig Once” Project.
• Oxford Arts Alliance Special Exception Zoning Application for 18 Addison Street (Oxford United Methodist Church). The applicant is seeking zoning relief for the following: a variance to allow a trade school and a variance to permit two principal uses on the property.

The next Oxford Borough Council meeting will be held on Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. at the Borough Hall.