The Newtown Township Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the advertisement of the proposed 2024 budget that included a proposed slight tax increase.
Its budgeted revenues are projected to be $14,291,936 million, an increase from the previous year, according to the proposed budget.
Meanwhile budgeted expenditures are projected to rise to $16,001,653 million. The budgeted general fund deficit is projected to decrease to $2,386,265.
The proposed spending plan includes a tax hike of two mills for the fire protection fund and an additional mill to reduce debt service costs.
Under this plan, the typical municipal tax bill would increase to $511 for properties with average assessment.
The majority of the budget will be dedicated toward keeping the picturesque community’s services up and running. These include paying municipal workers, maintenance on township property, and running the public work’s department.
The new budget includes room to consider hiring one additional police officer and four firefighters, Chairman Dennis Fisher said during the beginning of the meeting.
The township’s paid fire department is made up of volunteers, like several other Bucks county towns in the area, but has several paid firefighters will serve the township during the daytime hours when most volunteers are at work.
The prospect of four additional paid firefighters is made possible by a federal SAFER Grant.
Once year one of their employment is complete, salary increases and benefits will be paid for by the township’s general fund.
When it comes to the highway aid fund, there’s $755,000 available for paving. Newtown plans on paving $539,268 worth of roads. The planned 2024 paving includes Eagles Road, Farnsworth Way, Ashford Way. North and South Ascott Court, Amaryllis Lane, Lotus Place, and Campus Drive. The township has a list of alternative roads for paving.
Besides paving, the highway aid fund goes toward rock salt for the winter snow and other road equipment.
The Newtown Township earned income tax is the main funding source for the multi-million dollar budget.
Towards the end of the meeting, Fisher stated that they’ve discussed at length a number of issues and one is the potential of an installing an electric vehicle charging station in Newtown. This will let residents who have electric cars charge them.
Before any charger is installed, the township would have to approve an ordinance and hire a contractor to install it.
The nearby City of Lambertville, New Jersey, recently approved two electric vehicle charging stations right on their main street, per the New Hope Free Press. After years of bureaucracy, the charging stations are projected to finally be built in early 2024. Nearby, Middletown Township has also installed charging stations.
During the Wednesday Newtown Township Board of Supervisors meeting, Township Manager Micah Lewis said the proposed spending plan needs to be advertised until the supervisors can vote to adopt it.
Last month, Lewis informed the supervisors and attendees that the township’s planned tax millage rate for 2024, set at 13.115, is more competitive than the rates in Northampton Township, Middletown Township, Doylestown Township, and Warrington Township.
Newtown Township is anticipated to adopt the final 2024 budget on December 6.
In the business, supervisors Elen Snyder and Phil Calabaro won re-election on Tuesday, and both looked excited to serve their community for another six-year term.
