Budget workshop (for 2010 budget):
As we all know, the economy has been a mess. In the Summer newsletter article we said the township was “holding its own financially.” Thankfully, this continues to be the case.
The Budget in a nutshell:
The spending in each area will remain the same as last year (This includes Park & Recreation) with the only major exceptions listed below:
It looks like we will NOT need a tax increase, even though we are increasing spending in the public safety area.
The operating reserve (or emergency) fund was used up to compensate for reduced tax revenue in late 2008 & 2009.
We will likely be able to put about $23,000 toward replenishing the operating reserve fund in 2010.
Police spending is increasing by 4.67 %
Fire Company donation is increasing from $89,000 to $109,000.
The Blandon Ambulance Association is decreasing by $10,000 to help fund the Fire increase. They assure us that they can afford the decrease. They are unique in that when they give our residents service (i.e. a ride to the hospital) they are usually able to collect a fee for this service. That is not true of fire & police. However, I should mention that these fees do not cover the full cost of the service. Like the fire company, the balance is made up from fund raising, and the township donation.
The summer newsletter is below for reference. The concerns mentioned in the newsletter for the township finances are still valid, however, unlike many municipalities we have been able to make it into 2010 without raising taxes on the residents.
A Word from the Supervisors (from the Summer 2009 newsletter):
We have recently celebrated the two hundred and thirty third anniversary of our nation's independence. In that radical move our founders sought to protect us from King George III's trampling of our colonial charters. In so doing, they articulated a theory of government that was limited to protecting the “unalienable rights” of the citizens. This concept of government protecting individual rights is with us today, and trickles down to local government. The necessity of protecting life, and property is one reason why the local police are the single biggest line item in our township budget. Protecting rights is a proper use of taxpayer money.
The one question your board of supervisors asks itself most often is, “Are we giving the taxpayers good value for their money?” Good government, and good value for your tax dollars are the chief goals of chairman Claude Beaver, and Joseph Rudderow, III and Roy Timpe.
We supervisors want you to be aware of the effect of the recent economic developments on your township. No doubt you've heard about financial crisis in several states (including Pennsylvania) often revolving around the effect of the economic meltdown on pension funds. Well, township tax receipts are down. We were forced to make budget cuts, and use a portion of the emergency fund to get through the past several months. However, the township employee pension fund was actually a little over funded before the crash, and remains healthy today. The police pension was properly funded before the crash, and will require increased support in coming years, as a result of the crash. Maidencreek's earned income tax receipts continue to be slightly higher this year than they were for the same quarters last year. This likely means that our residents are continuing with their employment, or finding other jobs fairly quickly. Overall the township is holding it's own financially.
Our biggest dangers are in how the state and federal governments react to the situation. Bad economic policy (such as increased taxes for investments) on the part of the federal government could further erode both the police and township pension funds. State budget problems could limit local government funding such as liquid fuels money such that townships could be squeezed into raising the property tax to offset the losses in state funding. Your township supervisors can not control the actions of the state or federal government, but we will always ask ourselves, “Are we giving the taxpayers good value for their money?”
In these times, especially, each of us needs to get involved. As we have all recently seen, when politicians gather together in large legislative bodies, they often display a lack of frugality that exceeds every other segment of our society, including young teens on a pay per message texting plan. We need to communicate our opinions to our state and federal representatives. They really do need our guidance. We encourage you to contact your representative at the federal state and local level to assure that all levels of government give the taxpayers good value for their money.
Act 537 Plan (State Mandate):
We passed an ordinance that will require periodic pumping of on lot sewage systems. As always, we attempted to mitigate the impact of this State Mandate on our residents.
Free Book Offer:
Demand has caused me to order another case of books. I have copies of the Fredrick Bastiat book “The Law” available to Maidencreek residents. Email me if you want one.
Paid for by Roy Timpe