Board OKs $30.4M draft budget, no tax increase

Good news for tax payers in Limerick Township — taxes will likely stay where they are next year.

The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the advertisement of the $30.4 million draft budget, which does not raise taxes, during Tuesday night’s meeting. The new budget includes over $5 million in unfunded requests and over $350,000 in capital requests.

While taxes won’t increase, the township will start the new year with a $572,000 deficit, said Beth DiPrete, township assistant manager and treasurer.

“A portion of that is the two (police) officers,” she said. “Two of the five that we approved last year to hire.”

The plan is to take on a deficit and then wait to see how the budget changes throughout the year, rather than increase taxes, she said.

“We’ll break even this year and see how things shake out for next year,” she said.

Township Manager Dan Kerr stressed that the draft budget does not take into account any of the proceeds from the sale of the township sewer system, because the sale’s closure will not happen until at least mid-2017.

“When the sale of the sewer does take place at some point next year, we will come back to the board and offer a budget amendment as we do every year as things change throughout the

year,” Kerr said. “And we will incorporate the sewer proceeds into the budget at that time.”

Among the approximately $5.4 million in approved unfunded requests, or “wish lists” from the various departments, include $5 million for the incoming police and administration building (a $12 million total price tag) funded through a short term loan until the sewer system proceeds arrive, an administration building janitor/maintenance em-

ployee with a $78,000 salary and a Right To Know request coordinator with a $70,000 salary.

Among the $357,896 in approved capital requests include replacing three police vehicles for a net total of $140,000 and replacing a 2008 Ford F550 for the public works department at a net total of $70,000.

Several members of the board and the administration agreed that a Right To Know request coordinator was a position that the township desperately needs considering the amount of time and effort it can take to respond to the requests.

“How many hours it

takes and the kinds of silly requests we get a lot of times that we are bound by law to do,” said board member Elaine DeWan.

“The entire township and the organization supports the overriding desire or public need for public information and documents. We’re not contesting that,” Kerr said. “But unfortunately, this Right To Know law has placed a tremendous burden on township staff.”

For example, the township regularly receives requests from contractors who install fences for people looking to install a pool into their yard.

“How many pool permits

did you get?” Kerr said. “How many deck permits did you get? We get people who want to do pressure washing; they ask for deck permits. It goes on and on because they’re looking for mailing lists and by law we have to provide them.”

That said, Vice Chairwoman Kara Shuler said the board has always tried to run a fiscally conservative township.

“We don’t take on hires lightly,” she said. “Beth (DiPrete) wears three hats. We could have three different people for that but we feel she’s very competent in what she knows and what she can do. And we run that way with it.”