Lower Tyrone passes budget without tax hike
LOWER TYRONE TWP. – Supervisors Tuesday passed their 2006 tentative budget without a tax hike for the 19th straight year. The $197,658 spending plan is up from last year by $3,877.
Supervisor Luke Knapp additionally informed the other two supervisors that $10,000 needs to be set aside for engineering costs pertaining to a water project.
Another snafu in the tentative plan is that the supervisors have been asked to set aside an additional $5,000 for the upkeep and repairs to the Brownfield Community Center.
Center board member Gene Knox told the supervisors that it costs $17,000 a year simply to keep the doors to the center open. He additionally said that repairs are needed.
Last month, the supervisors agreed to give a $500 donation to the center, a $500 donation to the Brownfield Library and a $500 donation to the Dawson Volunteer Fire Company.
On Tuesday, the supervisors agreed to give another $250 to the center, although they had asked for an additional $500.
“We have given them $750 for the year,” said Knapp. “I really don’t think that we can do much better than that.”
Knox told the supervisors that money is needed to repair a boiler and said that center volunteers are having a hard time coming up with the money needed for repairs.
The supervisors agreed to hold a special meeting one hour prior to their regular 6 p.m. meeting on Dec. 13 with center board members to discuss the issue.
Secretary Traci Harrold said if the supervisors do agree to the $10,000 for engineering expenses and another $5,000 for the center, they will have to cut back in other places.
The township has $201,869 available for appropriation for next year and they are already looking to spend $197,658, according to Harrold.
The township receives revenues from real estate in the amount of $21,105, real estate prior and delinquent in the amount of $2,233, real estate transfer tax in the amount of $2,582, earned income tax in the amount of $74,225, occupational privilege tax in the amount of $885, golf tax in the amount of $1,694, business privilege tax in the amount of $4,848, per capita current and prior tax in the amount of $1,788 and mechanical device tax in the amount of $500.
Other sources of revenue are licenses and permits, $1,830; fines, $3,121; interest, $100; intergovernmental-liquid fuels, $65,419; county aid, $3,000; Pennsylvania snow removal, $6,428; garbage, $2,414; foreign fire, $6,526; and miscellaneous that includes gas tax, franchise tax and the game commission tax, $3,173.
On the expenditure side, the most expensive item is payroll at $35,000, followed by health insurance premiums at $22,764 and liability, umbrella and auto insurance at $12,066.
The supervisors plan to spend $17,483 on public safety that includes foreign fire, firefighters worker’s compensation, the sewage officer, animal control, fire hydrant service and fire hydrants in general.
They will additionally spend $105,849 on road maintenance and repair that includes new equipment, winter maintenance, sewage drainage pipe, repairs of equipment, gasoline and diesel fuel, asphalt, stone, supplies, parts and tools, vegetation control, traffic control devices safety gear and payroll.
The supervisors are looking to spend $500 each on the Brownfield Library and the Dawson VFC next year.
Miscellaneous expenses in the amount of $45,556 will go towards the treasurer’s bond, worker’s compensation, PSARS UC Group Trust, employer contribution to social security and Medicare, health insurance and insurance.