Conservation of surplus funds could lead to increase in municipal tax rate for Springfield Township residents.
By: Scott Morgan
SPRINGFIELD A proposal to spend less of the budget surplus could mean a slight municipal tax increase for township residents this year.
On March 10, the Township Council held the public hearing for its $2.95 million 2004 budget, but added an amendment to reduce the amount of money being taken from surplus.
On April 7, the council will hold another public hearing only on the amendment, which drops the amount of surplus to be used from $587,750 to $531,350. The move would keep an extra $56,400 in the budget surplus.
Township Clerk/Administrator Thalia Kay said that the proposal to keep more money in the surplus was the council’s unanimous decision to set a little extra money aside for future use.
"We just want to have it as a cushion," said Ms. Kay. "We don’t want to get in the position of, say, Mansfield, where they’re facing a tremendous tax increase."
Deputy Clerk Judy Schetler said the change leaves about $284,350 in the municipal surplus, an amount that represents about 9 percent of the total $2.95 million proposed budget. .
With the change, township residents are facing a tax rate of 50.6 cents, a 2.5-cent increase in the tax rate over last year. For the owner of the township average $160,000 home, this year’s municipal tax bill will total $809.60, $40 more than last year, should the amendment pass unchanged.
Also part of this year’s budget is $9,800 in state aid, plus an $866 county grant to purchase body armor for township police officers.
The 2004 budget is nearly $100,000 higher than last year’s $2.85 million budget, mostly due to planned emergency service upgrades and open space/farmland preservation programs, officials said.