West Rockhill to avoid tax increase East Rockhill to hold the line on taxes

West Rockhill’s income is down 8.7 percent this year.

“The good news is expenses are down 9.1 percent,” dreg Lippincott, township manager, said at the Nov. 21 West Rockhill Township Board of Supervisors meeting.

That means the township will break even for the year, he said.

“We budgeted for this. We knew this was coming,” Lippincott said.

The township property tax rate remains the same next year under the proposed 2013 budget. At the 5.25 mill rate, the tax on a home assessed at $40,000 is $210. Each mill equals $1 of tax per $1,000 of assessed property value.

Next year’s proposed general fund budget totals $1,992,561.

It includes $75,000 for road paving work, probably on either Rich Hill Road or Butter Creek Road; $20,000 for road work in partnership with Sellersville on Farmers Lane; and $13,000 for Holiday House pool operations, Lippincott said. The pool is jointly owned and operated by West Rockhill and Sellersville.

The cost of the township’s general administration is budgeted at $198,131; building and grounds at $25,500; public safety police at $1,096,508; firH SrRWHFWLRQ at $100,100; public works at $147,474; and employee EHQHfiWV DW $227,838.

The $1,992,561 general fund and $155,035 highway aid fund each are balanced budgets with the same amount of income and expenses. Other funds include the highway capital improvement fund, budgeted to have $5,300 of income and $20,000 of expenses; the equipment fund, with $19,383 of income and no expenses; $275,175 income for the open space fund, with $199,589 of expenses; $14,425 of income for the park fund and $10,993 of expenses; and the street light fund with $10,928 of income and $6,000 of expenses.

The 5.25 mill rate in the property tax includes 4.25 mills for the general fund, 0.75 PLOOV IRr WKH firH WD[ DQG 0.25 mills for road equipment.

$ fiQDO vRWH RQ :HVW 5RFNhill’s proposed 2013 budget is slated for the board’s meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 19.

As is also happening in other towns, one of the income areas that has declined in West Rockhill is the amount brought in by new construction.

“:H PHW IRr WKH firVW WLPH since June — sign of the times,” Ben Botti, chairman of the township’s planning commission, said in giving his monthly report to the supervisors in November.

In another matter at the PHHWLQJ, WRwQVKLS RIfiFLDOV said potholes are already beginning to appear.

“It’s wet and it’s cold, so they’re starting to pop up,” Lippincott said.

Property taxes in East Rockhill won’t change next year.

“We’ll hold the line for 2013,” dary Volovnik, East Rockhill Township Board of Supervisors chairman, said at the board’s Nov. 20 meeting.

After further discussion wLWK :HVW 5RFNKLOO RIfiFLDOV, East Rockhill will also keep the amount it allocates to Pennridge Regional Police Department at the same level as this year, the board said.

Board members had previously said they could no longer afford to split the costs of the regional department 50/50 with West Rockhill and that more of the police activity takes place in West Rockhill. The current agreement, which will now continue next year, splits the department’s operating costs equally between the two townships and provides an equal number of patrol hours to each.

The proposed $1,794,766 general fund budget for 2013 in East Rockhill includes $878,271 for the poOLFH, $122,000 IRr firH SrRtection, $55,180 for building and grounds, $113,368 for code enforcement and $220,066 for public works. The general fund continues to decrease each year from LWV $2.225 PLOOLRQ fiJurH LQ 2007, DFFRrGLQJ WR fiQDQFLDO information on the township’s website. A copy of the proposed 2013 budget is also available on the website.

$ fiQDO vRWH LV VFKHGuOHG for the board’s 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 11 meeting.

At the existing 8.135 mill tax rate, the owner of an East Rockhill home assessed at the average rate pays about $325 per year in township property taxes, according to township information. Each mill equals $1 per $1,000 of assessed property value. A $325 bill would be owed on properties assessed at about $40,000.

The 8.135 mill rate includes 5.225 mills for the general fund, 1 mill for the firH WD[, 1.26 PLOOV IRr EDVW Rockhill’s portion of the mortgage on the $2.3 million Pennridge Regional Police station and 0.65 mills to repay a loan for the planned $1 million bridge replacement on Rockhill Road.

Total income and spending for the combined general fund, open space, sewer fund, driving range/park & recreation, Rockhill Road bridge, police headquarters, capital reserve and state aid budgets is $3,417,553.

Although the tax rate will be unchanged in 2013, East Rockhill sewer rates will increase by 10 percent from the current $100 per quarteryear, equaling $400 per year, to $110 per quarter, or $440 per year.

In other matters at the Nov. 20 meeting:

• 7KH WRwQVKLS LV SODQning to get new printing equipment to make sewer bills more private, Marianne Morano, township secretary/ treasurer, said.

“Right now, it’s a post card and everybody can see it,” Morano said. “This way it would be sealed.”

• EDVW 5RFNKLOO LV VLJQing on for a new 24-month contract with PPL Energy Plus for electric generation at 6.237 cents per killowatt hour.

“That’s like three cents less than the last contract,” board member David Nyman said. “It’s a really good rate.”

• 7KH 1Rv. 1 GHDGOLQH JLven to Country Hunt residents to remove structures, including swing sets and other play structures, located on township-owned open space has passed.

“A lot of people did comply,” Morano said. There are three properties that have not yet done so, though, she said.

The board decided to extend the deadline until the end of January, after which any remaining structures will be removed by the township.