Delaware Township crafts 'conservative' 2023 budget
The Pike County Dispatch
By Wayne Witkowski
DINGMANS FERRY -- The streak goes on for Delaware Township property owning taxpayers -- no increase in six years on their municipal taxes.
The final draft for the 2023 township budget remains at 11.868 mills. The General Fund holds at 8.68 mills.The Recreation tax and Fire tax for the township Volunteer Fire Company both will stay at 1.5 mills, each drawing $153,000.
The budget was discussed at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Wednesday last week and made available starting last Friday for public inspection for 20 days at the municipal building at 116 Wilson Hill Road.
Supervisors also decided to post the budget online this year on the township website.
A ratification vote was approved by the supervisors for their regular meeting on Dec. 7.
"This again is a careful, conservative budget," announced Supervisor Jane Neufeld who, as township treasurer, again crafted the budget with township Administrator Krista Predmore, with input on details from Roadmaster Richard Bailo.
"Income from our township taxes has not really changed. Potential income that caries from year to year -- real estate transfer taxes, service charges, etc. -- for the most part have increased. But as the amounts may undergo change at any time, conservative projections are made.
"We have been able to occasionally get grants for the big money projects and have worked to fix, update, maintain our roads, buildings, our infrastructure," Neufeld told the gathering as the 2023 budget shows $502,992.66 set aside for roads and bridges. "There is still a bit more to do to ensure our infrastructure is safe, our services can continue to be of use and service to our residents and visitors.
"And expenses have -- no kidding -- grown."
The General Fund balances at $1,547,485.28, with a surplus of $137,078.30. It's a decrease from the 2022 budget that was set at $2,430,418.64. The General Fund was budgeted in 2021 for $1,273,939.
For the 2023 budget, state Liquid Fuels totals $570,515.46.
Neufeld said any salary increases "will be based on good work done."
The Capital Reserve Fund - General Fund is $318,444 and the Capital Reserve Fund - Parks and Recreation is $317,119.
The Emergency Services Fund is set at $344,005. The township will receive $215,000 from the Pike County emergency services fund.
The Rec budget is at $180,770, which creates a $20,615 shortfall of its allocation and its revenue through the year. Neufeld pointed out that supervisors passed a motion at the last meeting to move $30,000 from the General Fund to Recreation, which would cover that shortfall.
Neufeld said rising fuel and heating costs is "a moving target and not fun to do" for the budget.
Supervisors at the meeting discussed with Bailo some issues for the upcoming months. On the budget for 2023 is emergency lighting for and painting of the bathrooms, replacing the culvert and the footbridge over it at Akenac Park, painting and replacing the flooring and door of the gatehouse at the park, painting the back of the Dingmans Ferry Theatre building and refurbishing the roof as well as a $22,500-$30,000 project replacing the meeting room floor, repairing loose tiles in the kitchen. a $50,000 expense to redo the two public bathrooms and $4,310 toward lighting in the municipal parking lots.
Most of that work will be funded from the American Rescue Fund that has $393,462.99 earmarked to be spent on overall township projects by 2024.
Also at the regular meeting, supervisors approved new heaters for the recreation hall at Akenac Park in an amount not to exceed $4,200. They will be used at the annual event "Gnome for the Holidays" from 5-8 p.m.on Dec. 10. They approved Delaware Township Volunteer Fire Police to provide traffic control that day.
Theurkauf Design & Planning will receive $6,918.12 for the Delaware Township Comprehensive Plan Update.
Supervisors approved the annual renewal of the State Workers’ Insurance Fund for $19,030 for the Delaware Township Volunteer Fire Company Workers Compensation Policy.
They agreed to advertise for the vacancy of the Delaware Township Zoning Hearing Board after accepting the resignation of Ted Persall.
Board of Supervisors Chairman John Henderson announced that the Delaware Township Planning Commission Comprehensive Plan Update Public Workshop will be held 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 6.
They also approved advertising for a part-time office assistant and for a full-time public works employee.
Supervisors approved municipal hall use request by newly elected state Rep. Tarah Probst to use the municipal hall in 2023 for state office hours from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursdays beginning Jan. 5.
Municipal hall use requests also were approved for Dec. 5 from 6-10 p.m. by the Pike County Democratic Committee for a holiday get-together and a municipal hall use request by the Delaware Township Democratic Club on Dec. 16 from 6-10 p.m. for a club meeting and holiday get-together.
The Delaware Township Rec Committee was approved use of municipal hall on the second Monday of every month from 6-7 p.m., beginning Jan. 9.
Henderson and Neufeld said, when asked during Public Comment at the end of the meeting, that they were informed that Wilson Hill Road will reopen this week as Pennsylvania Department of Transportation completes repairs.
Supervisors approved renewing Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance policy at a 3 percent increase for 2023 for full-time township employees.
Also approved was a $4,310 payment to Amp Electrical Contracting LLC for upgraded lighting.