Town Hall · Bern

Bern, PA town hall & government

Bern spent $5 million in the year to December 31, 2022, about $725 per resident.

Where the money goes, where it comes from, property taxes, and how to reach Bern's government.

Town budget

Where Bern's money goes

Spent
$5 million
fiscal year to December 31, 2022
Per resident
$725
typical Pennsylvania towns: $466
Long-term debt
$41,000
$6 per resident
Police
$1.4 million29%
Roads & transportation
$1.2 million25%
Administration & buildings
$792,00016%
Sewer & trash
$390,0008%
Courts, inspections & corrections
$162,0003%
Fire
$44,0001%
Parks & libraries
$9,000<1%
Health & welfare
$1,000<1%
Interest on debt
$1,000<1%
Other
$910,00018%

Where the money comes from

  • Property taxes 34%
  • Income taxes 18%
  • From the state 13%
  • Other taxes & licenses 11%
  • Fees & charges 11%
  • From the federal government 7%
  • Interest, fines & other 5%
  • Sales taxes <1%
Town workforce · Census estimate

Who works for Bern

Full-time staff
19
15 part-time too
Average full-time pay
$95,700
a year, before benefits
Sworn police officers
12
full-time, with power of arrest
Police
12 full-time
Administration & buildings
2 full-time14 part
Roads & transportation
5 full-time1 part

Staff on the town's payroll in March 2022. Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it's approximate. Bern didn't report its staffing to the Census Bureau, so these are the Bureau's estimates.

Schools · school year 2023–24

Schuylkill Valley School District

Bern's K–12 school district, shared with Centerport, Centre, Leesport and Ontelaunee. It is its own government, with a budget separate from the town's.

Spending per pupil
$18,523
Pennsylvania: $21,758
Students
2,113
in the whole district
Long-term debt
$28.6 million
at year end

Where the district's money comes from Pennsylvania districts overall: 55% local, 37% state, 8% federal

  • Local 72%
  • State 23%
  • Federal 5%

Of the $18,523 per pupil, $12,034 goes to classroom instruction (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to support services such as buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren't in the per-pupil figure.

Property tax

What homeowners in Bern pay

Typical tax bill
$5,265
a year · Pennsylvania typical $3,311
Effective rate
1.55%
of home value · Pennsylvania 1.30%
Typical home value
$339,500
owner-occupied

The median yearly bill homeowners report, covering every local property tax on the home (town, schools, county). The effective rate is that bill divided by the median home value, so it's a rough guide, not the official tax rate.

Local

Contact Bern's government

Town hall & decisions in Bern →

Beyond town hall

Who represents Bern

Bern is represented in Congress by Senators John Fetterman and David McCormick and Representative Madeleine Dean. Josh Shapiro is governor.

All of Bern's representatives, with contacts →

Budget: U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Finance (every city and town government's revenue, spending and debt, grouped into plain categories). Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates.

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Bern

Pennsylvania · PA · Berks County
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