Wernersville Weighs 2027 Tax Hike and an EMS Millage

Wernersville Borough Council meets Wednesday night with two budget questions it has not answered in public: "Tax increase?" and whether to turn its $50-a-parcel ambulance charge into a property tax millage. The agenda for the Wednesday, Nov. 4, 7 p.m. meeting at Borough Hall, 100 N. Reber St., also has council voting on an ordinance to make Marcello Circle a borough street, ratifying an emergency sinkhole repair from October, applying for a state traffic-signal grant for Penn Avenue and advertising 2027 dates that move its own meetings to the second Wednesday of the month. The agenda went up Tuesday afternoon on the borough homepage. This is our first story on the borough.

The tax question, with no budget posted

Item 17, old business, lists six bullets under "2027 Budget": "Public works items," "Council room furniture and sound system (approx. $32,000), if not covered by Grant," "New PCs for Office and Matt's office (Approx $7,000)," "Tax increase?," "Discuss EMS Tax. Cannot be a flat fee, must be a millage," and "Advertise proposed 2027 budget or special meeting in December." Matt is Matt Zerr, the roadmaster, per the Sept. 2 minutes.

No budget document, total or proposed rate is posted on the borough site. Council held a budget workshop Oct. 22, and those minutes are up for approval Wednesday as item 3, but the newest minutes on the borough's Council Meetings page are from Sept. 2, so there is no public record of what council said about taxes.

The borough's current rate is 5.7 mills, according to the county's 2026 tax rate table, which lists Wernersville's "district" rate as 0.0057000. A mill is $1 of tax for every $1,000 of assessed value, so a property assessed at $100,000 pays $100,000 ÷ 1,000 × 5.7 = $570 a year to the borough by our arithmetic. This guide explains how the three bills fit together, and our rate table compares every Berks municipality.

The borough's own record is more detailed. The Dec. 3, 2025 minutes say council enacted the 2026 tax ordinance at "Real Estate 5.70 mils, Fire Tax 1.21 mills and Ambulance $50.00 per parcel." The county table's 5.7 matches the real estate line only. Its footnote explains why the fire millage and the $50 charge are missing: "These rates only represent the millage rates and do not include any additional fees, such as Trash, Recycling, Fire, EMS, etc. or other millage-based taxes." The fire millage is set through 2027: Western Berks Fire Department's Jared Renshaw "confirmed that the millage will be 1.21 per taxable property, for 2026 and 2027," per the Nov. 5, 2025 minutes.

The furniture line has a history. On Sept. 2, council voted to apply for a state LSA4 grant "for Council room furniture and other improvements," per the minutes, but the Oct. 7 agenda says a $542,182.73 salt shed application submitted Sept. 29 "replaced" it. The same Oct. 7 agenda listed council member Linda Dapcic-Angst as "Looking for approval to apply for the LSA statewide grant for Borough Council building upgrades," and the Sept. 2 minutes say that grant "is due in November." Wednesday's agenda does not name the grant that might cover the furniture, and it does not say whether that application was filed.

The ambulance charge, and what state law allows

The agenda's note that an EMS tax "Cannot be a flat fee, must be a millage" tracks the state Borough Code. Section 1302(a)(9) lets a borough levy a tax "for the purpose of supporting ambulance, rescue and other emergency services serving the borough, not to exceed one-half mill, except as provided in subsection (e)." Subsection (e) allows up to two mills if borough voters approve it in a referendum, and the section says its taxes "shall be levied on the dollar on the valuation assessed for county purposes," which is what a millage is. The statute page also notes a 2024 law partially repealed paragraph (a)(9) "insofar as" it conflicts with two newer sections of the state Fiscal Code. That law, Act 54 of 2024, lets an "eligible borough" levy up to five mills for ambulance and emergency services by ordinance, but it defines the term as "a borough that is located in a county of the second class A that is contiguous to a city of the first class." Berks is a third class county, according to the county's comprehensive plan, so the half-mill cap, or two mills by referendum, is what applies to Wernersville.

At one-half mill, a property assessed at $100,000 would pay $100,000 ÷ 1,000 × 0.5 = $50 a year, the same as the current flat charge; a $200,000 assessment would pay $100. The agenda proposes no rate. The borough's minutes list its ambulance reports under "Western Berks Ambulance"; the agenda lists a written report for September.

Marcello Circle becomes a borough street

Under the solicitor's report, item 16, council would "Enact ordinance to accept Deed of Dedication for Marcello Circle (Stone Ridge Subdivision) as a Borough road conditioned upon close out or similar release of the PENNDOT Highway Occupancy Permit to the satisfaction of the Borough Engineer and Borough Solicitor." The Oct. 7 agenda asked council to authorize preparing and advertising the ordinance for this meeting; those minutes are not posted. The engineer's report, item 10, lists "Discuss issues on Engineer report. Possible action on Street Dedication," and, with the Marcello Circle items, a sixth escrow release of $12,377.41. An escrow release returns part of the money a developer posted as security as work is finished; the Oct. 7 agenda put work completed at $859,160.05 with $290,822.11 remaining.

A deed of dedication is the developer's offer of the street to the public. The Borough Code's Section 1734 says a borough may accept a privately built street by ordinance and takes no "right in or responsibility for" it until the dedication is accepted and recorded. Once a street is the borough's, Section 1721.1 gives it the power to "keep in order and repair and in safe passable condition" the street. The borough draws that line in practice: in September, when a Werner Street resident asked about an alley behind her home, council "told Ms. Dickman that the Borough would not be able to plow the private alley," per the minutes.

The October sinkhole

Item 16 also asks council to "ratify emergency repair of sinkhole at Intersection of Beckley and Lincoln Drive on Monday, October 12, 2026 in accordance with section 1402 of the Borough Code." That section sets bidding rules for borough purchases and exempts emergency repairs, on one condition: "the actual emergency and the nature of the procurement shall be stated in a resolution by council and adopted at the next public meeting." Wednesday is the first regular council meeting since the repair; council also held an advertised budget workshop Oct. 22. The agenda gives no cost and no contractor. Under public works, item 12, it lists "Discuss Sinkhole on Beckley."

The same corner is the site of a bigger job. Item 10 asks council to authorize submitting a Highway Occupancy Permit application to PennDOT for the Beckley Street storm sewer project. In September the engineer reported finishing the design for "the replacement of the water mains within the vicinity of Beckley and Lincoln," said the project "is expected to start in the Summer of 2027" and said detour plans would need discussion, per the minutes. The Aug. 5 minutes say the borough will be lead agency and the Wernersville Municipal Authority will reimburse it for work completed.

A grant for the Penn Avenue signal

Under council reports, item 15, Council President Dave Latino will "Discuss Green Light-Go program for traffic light system on Penn Ave," and a motion is needed to apply. The agenda does not say which signal. Green Light-Go is PennDOT's competitive grant for existing traffic signals, covering LED technology, retiming, monitoring and "upgrading traffic signals to the latest technologies," per the program page. It reimburses costs and requires a minimum 20 percent local match for most project types, with an exception for "Traffic Signal Technologies" projects, per PennDOT's FAQ, which also sets the scoping-form deadline the agenda cites, Jan. 4, 2027.

A December hearing on zoning changes

Item 16 would also "Authorize advertisement of public hearing and ordinance enactment for the Lower Heidelberg Township Zoning Map Amendments and the Short Term Rental Regulations at the December 2, 2026 meeting." That is the agenda's wording. Wernersville shares a joint zoning ordinance, the Southwestern Berks County Zoning Ordinance of 2004, with Lower Heidelberg and South Heidelberg townships, per the county planning commission and the borough's zoning hearing notices, so a Lower Heidelberg map change comes before Wernersville's council too. The Sept. 2 minutes describe the map amendment as "the Lower Heidelberg proposal to rezone several properties along Penn Ave and Sportsman Rd from AG Preservation to C-2 Commercial and allow Hospital use," and the short-term rental ordinance as one that "would only affect Agricultural districts." Neither text is posted. The three municipalities used the same joint process in late summer for a data-center and warehouse amendment, which Wernersville enacted Sept. 2; its minutes record that "South Heidelberg already approved and Lower Heidelberg will consider approval at 9/15/2026." Our preview covered South Heidelberg's Aug. 25 hearing.

Council moves to the second Wednesday

Item 18 asks council to approve advertising 2027 dates that shift council from the first Wednesday to the second: Jan. 13, Feb. 10, March 10, April 14, May 12, June 9, July 14, Aug. 11, Sept. 8, Oct. 13, Nov. 10 and Dec. 8. The Planning Commission would meet the third Wednesday "if needed," and the Recreation Board the first Monday, except July 12 and Sept. 13, which fall on the second Monday. Latino raised the change in September, per the minutes.

Storage garages on Werner Street

A Zoning Hearing Board hearing is set for Monday, Nov. 16 at 6:30 p.m. at Borough Hall on an application by Underdog Enterprises, LLC, for 60 Werner Street in the TC Town Center District. The notice says the applicant seeks a special exception under Sections 413.2 and 505 of the joint zoning ordinance "to permit a storage garage use on the Property and allow the construction of five (5) new garage buildings containing thirty-six (36) 10' x 20' storage units." The homepage lists the hearing as "Thursday, November 16"; Nov. 16 is a Monday, and the notice says Monday. A separate hearing on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 6:30 p.m. covers a shed variance at 228 Marcello Circle and a request "to permit the storage of cars" at 30 W. Washington Ave.

Also on the agenda

• Hiring Ray Ruth as a part-time public works employee (item 12). Council approved advertising the job in September.
• A $7,545 Alltemp quote to replace heat exchangers in the office and library, which the agenda says have "large rust spots, which could open and let combustion gas into the air stream."
• An executive session on "Contract Negotiation and Litigation." The September minutes note talks with South Heidelberg Township, whose police cover the borough, about "continuation of police services."

How to attend

The meeting is Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. at Wernersville Borough Hall, 100 N. Reber St., which the borough's Council Meetings page says is handicap accessible. The homepage says residents who want to address council should call 610-678-1486 or email the borough by noon the Monday before a meeting to get on the agenda. The office is open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, per the contact page. The next regular meeting is Dec. 2. Our guide covers how to find meeting schedules across Berks.