Manager says finances looking better, but tight

Asked after the meeting whether a tax hike is expected, Schilling said it’s still too early to tell.

BEDMINSTER >> As of the end of September, the township has received 82.5 percent of its budgeted income for the year and spent 70.6 percent of its budgeted expenses, Township Manager Rich Schilling said during his report at the Oct. 9 Bedminster Township Board of Supervisors meeting.

“Total income through September was $2,268,167 compared to last year’s $2,253,284, so we’re running slightly ahead of where we were last year,” he said.

Total expenses through September were $1.940,640, compared to $1,704,996 for the same period last year, he said.

“We have a net income through September of $327,527,” Schilling said. “We still have some projects left to go, so that will be affected a little bit, but right now I feel a lot better than I did two months ago.”

Work is beginning on preparing next year’s budget, he said.

Asked after the meeting whether a tax hike is expected, Schilling said it’s still too early to tell.

“I’m not anticipating any tax increase, but things are tightening up, so we’ll see how it all plays out,” he said.

The preliminary budget will be presented in November, with the board’s final budget vote coming in December.

In a separate matter at the meeting, the board accepted an application from Elizabeth Nicholas to have 69.2 acres on Dublin Pike and 22.2 acres on Schott Road added to the Agricultural Security Area.

“That’s good. Ninety-two acres,” board member Glenn Wismer said.

Being in the ASA helps protect farms from nuisance complaints for farming-related activity and makes it more difficult for the land to be taken by eminent domain. Having land put into the ASA can also be an initial step toward having the land ultimately become part of land preservation programs.

The Oct. 9 action by the board accepts the application, which will now be reviewed by township and county committees, then come back to the board for a vote on whether the application is approved, Schilling said.