The Newtown Township Board of Supervisors are scheduled to vote this week on a 2026 budget proposal that includes a 4-mill real estate tax increase dedicated to fire and ambulance services.
The proposed increase — 3 mills for fire protection and 1 mill for ambulance services — would cost the average homeowner an additional $157 per year, or approximately $13 per month.
The draft 2026 budget projects expenditures of $26,682,833 against expected revenues of $23,845,459.
Township Manager Michael Lewis noted the general fund draft features a $3.23 million structural deficit, but no corresponding tax increase is proposed for the general fund.
Lewis said the township has historically covered such gaps by seeing better-than-projected revenue and lower operational costs.
Lewis estimated the fund balance would stand at $5.2 million at the end of 2025.
The tax hikes are proposed to tackle rising costs and the expansion of emergency services.
The fire protection tax increase is needed to maintain expanded paid coverage, which now runs seven days a week, 12 hours per day.
Grant funding that allowed the department to add four firefighters in 2024 is set to expire at the end of this year.
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The budget proposes increasing firefighter staffing from 12 in 2025 to 14 in 2026 and purchasing a new support vehicle.
Overall, the township’s employee headcount is proposed to increase from 79 to 82.5 in 2026, including the addition of a full-time information technology staffer.
At the supervisors’ late November meeting, the board debated spending priorities, with the proposed budget including major capital purchases for several departments.
The police department spending plan includes the purchase of four vehicles.
The public works department plans to purchase a dump truck and mowing equipment.
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The township also plans funding for South Drive bridge repairs, and the road repaving project.
The proposed budget allocates $850,000 for road repairs and improvements, according to Supervisor Vice Chairperson Dennis Fisher, who proposed pulling $150,00 from the general fund to beef up road work.
Supervisor John Mack said the amount for road repairs and improvement is insufficient. He suggested the township reduce the planned police vehicle purchases from four to two cars to reallocate approximately $170,000 to road work.
Mack requested additional justification for various budget items.
Supervisor Chairperson Elen Snyder opposed reducing equipment spending to fund road work.
“I think that’s something that we’ve been doing taking away from the police or some other line item for a long time,” Snyder said. “And again, I think this year we should keep the budget as it is, as it has been proposed, because all of those things are needed.”
The supervisors will hold their final vote on the budget at their planned Wednesday evening meeting.
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