Sunday, December 23, 2012
The millage rate in the township remains at 1.49 mills
Montgomery Township on Dec. 17 passed an $11.8 million budget with a $37,690 surplus. The millage rate in the township remains at 1.49 mills. Montgomery Township has not had a tax increase for more than nine years. In 2006, supervisors reduced the millage rate from 1.61 mills to 1.49 mills. The 2013 budget also sets Homestead Exemption at $30,000. More than 75 percent of property owners participate in the homestead exemption program, totaling $308,000 in annual tax relief, according to Finance Director Shannon Drosnock. General Fund Revenues in 2013 are set at $11.872 million, up from $11.48 million in 2012, an increase of 3.4 percent. General Fund Expenses are set at $11.834 million, up from $11.46 million in 2012. Of those total revenues…
Friday, December 21, 2012
Council voted unanimously Wednesday to pass the 2013 budget for the borough, with the millage rate remaining at 3.5 mills
Lansdale Borough Council unanimously passed a balanced $31.25 million budget Wednesday night, and holding taxes steady at 3.5 mills. “I thought everyone would want to attach their name to a ‘no tax hike’ (vote)," said council President Matt West. The millage rate in Lansdale remains at 3.5 mills. One mill yields $1 in revenue for each $1,000 of assessed value. For example, a homeowner with a house assessed in Lansdale at $123,000 would pay a property tax bill of $430.50 a year. Proposed expenditures and revenues stand at $31,249,000. For the Lansdale resident, 12.08 percent of his or her real estate tax bill goes to Lansdale. Montgomery County gets 10.88 percent of the bill and North Penn School District receives 77.04 percent of the bill…
Friday, December 7, 2012
The $409.7M budget adds money to the county's general fund for the first time since 2007.
The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners on Thursday unanimously adopted a $409.7 million operating budget for 2013, completing a year-long process that county officials said involved an essentially complete teardown and rebuild of the county's financial operations. Board chairman Josh Shapiro said the budget, which does not increase the county's property taxes, establishes "a positive, long-term path forward for our county." In addition to funding "core" county functions, the budget sets aside $2.6 million for the county's general fund balance, which had shrunk from about $100 million at the beginning of 2008 to about $20 million when the current county administration took office. The county's shrinking cash reserves had led to credit…
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Council voted last week 8-0-1 to borrow $10 million to help fund $20 million in proposed infrastructure repairs. Interest rates are at a 47-year low, according to asset management firm Boenning & Scattergood
Lansdale Borough is going to do business like it’s 1965. Last week, council voted 8-0-1 to approve the borrowing of a $10 million bond at an initial interest rate of .75 percent — a historic rate that hasn’t been seen in 47 years. The bond will be put toward the funding of $20 million in capital infrastructure and building repairs and refurbishments. The balance of the capital reserve funds in 2013 is proposed at $10.9 million; this amount is after a $2 million transfer to the general fund reserve balance, and $11.5 million in investments paid or to be paid. The debt service in Lansdale at present stands at $1.6 million, or 5 percent of the entire proposed 2013 budget. “The debt service will never go over that $2 million threshold,” said …
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Executives and clients of several social service organizations came before the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners at a public budget hearing on Thursday.
Faced with funding cuts that would result from the elimination of earmark grants in the county's proposed 2013 budget, representatives and clients of a number of Montgomery County social services organizations implored the county's board of commissioners Thursday morning to find a way to maintain the county's financial support for their operations. "You call this support an 'earmark.' We call it a lifeline," said Lilibet Coe, executive director of The Open Line, a Pennsburg-based agency that provides support services to low-income residents of the Upper Perkiomen area. Coe said the $27,800 that The Open Line stands to lose in 2013 was "a relatively small investment resulting in a very large impact." Harvey Strauss, co-executive director of…
Watch a live stream of today's public hearing on the proposed 2013 Montgomery County budget, starting at 10 a.m.
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Thursday, November 29, 2012
The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners is holding public hearings Thursday at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. regarding the county's proposed 2013 operating budget. The $413.8 million budget avoids a tax increase for county residents, but dramatically reduces or eliminate funding for a variety of public assistance programs and other social services. Representatives from affected groups are expected to testify at today's hearings. Patch will have a report on the hearings later today.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Borough Manager Timi Kirchner presented a 2013 $31.25 million budget review Tuesday night at Lansdale Borough Council's action meeting. The budget will be advertised for 20 days before adoption in December
Lansdale Borough Council proposed to keep taxes in line Tuesday night, voting unanimously to advertise a balanced 2013 budget. The $31.25 million budget will be advertised for 20 days before its formal adoption by the borough. The millage rate in Lansdale remains at 3.5 mills. One mill yields $1 in revenue for each $1,000 of assessed value. For example, a homeowner with a house assessed in Lansdale at $123,000 would pay a property tax bill of $430.50 a year. Proposed expenditures and revenues stand at $31,249,000. For the Lansdale resident, 12.08 percent of his or her real estate tax bill goes to Lansdale. Montgomery County gets 10.88 percent of the bill and North Penn School District receives 77.04 percent of the bill. Borough Manager …
Friday, November 16, 2012
The increase is needed due to a decline in revenues in the borough, according to reports
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Friday, November 16, 2012
Due to a decline in revenues in Souderton Borough, Souderton Borough Council is proposing a 5.7 percent increase in property taxes, or about $42 more on average, according to Theresa Hegel of The Intelligencer. Souderton is proposing a $2.66 million 2013 budget. Most of the increase would go to fund Indian Valley Public Library, according to the article. The borough decided to increase its library tax by half of what was requested, according to the article. Souderton Area School District is no longer contributing the $440,000 to the library, according to the article. Read more on Souderton’s proposed tax increase at this link.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
The general fund for 2013 will have a $6,000 surplus
Montgomery Township Supervisors Monday approved advertisement of an $11.8 million budget, with no tax increase for 2013, and a $6,160 surplus. The budget will be adopted at the Dec. 17 meeting. Montgomery Township has not had a tax increase for more than nine years. In 2006, supervisors reduced the millage rate from 1.61 mills to 1.49 mills. Homestead exemption remains at $30,000. Finance Director Shannon Drosnock said more than 75 percent of property owners participate in the homestead exemption program, totaling $308,000 in annual tax relief. Total revenues in the 2013 budget are 3.4 percent higher than in 2012 — $11,872,320 compared to $11,481,685. Of those total revenues, $9.5 million are tax revenues, which are up 2.9 percent from …
Friday, November 9, 2012
The parks and recreation committee is scouting locations for a potential skateboard park in Lansdale Borough
The idea of bringing a skate park to Lansdale Borough has not bailed in the minds of the parks and recreation committee. In fact, skateboarders can take solace in the fact that the committee is proposing money be budgeted solely for development of a skate park in 2013. “We are in the process of searching for a proper location,” said committee Chairwoman Mary Fuller at Wednesday’s Lansdale Council work session. “The chief (Robert McDyre), Carl (Saldutti, the parks director) and myself have been around doing some scouting. That project is moving forward.” Fuller said the plan at present is to come up with a list of potential sites for a skate park. “We are working with the police. Because of visibility and safety, we want to pick a place …
linda spreeman
9:12 am on Saturday, December 15, 2012
Upper Merion just adopted a budget also that has no tax hikes. Yippee! I live in a townhouse development and am actually on the Board of Directors. We worked very hard to keep costs down, find honest vendors who charge reasonable costs, contain capital expenditures. It is great to see communities, townships and other governing bodies working together to hold down costs. Too bad it takes a bad … more ›