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South Union holds taxes steady for 2010

By Rebekah Sungala 4 min read

South Union Township supervisors adopted a final budget for the 2010 fiscal year that holds the rate steady on all taxes. Supervisors Robert Schiffbauer, Thomas Frankhouser and Rick Vernon unanimously voted to adopt the $3.4 million budget, which includes a $2.9 million general fund.

The budget lists anticipated expenditures from the general fund at $2.2 million, leaving a balance of $687,077. The largest expense in the general fund is highways at $1,265,212.

In addition to the general fund, the budget includes a $383,235 state liquid fuels fund. Liquid fuels money is used to pave roads and to pay for street signs and traffic lights.

The budget also calls for money to be deposited in separate fire hydrant and athletic funds. The fire hydrant fund has revenue at $22,521 and expenditures at $22,168. The athletic fund has revenue at $73,605 and expenditures at $68,000.

According to the budget, the Hopwood Village Project fund is expected to have revenue in the amount of $29,050 – with $7,000 in donations and a carryover of $21,970 from last year – and expenditures in the amount of $4,600.

Revenue for the North and South Union Intergovernmental Board fund is at $72,465 with revenue at $51,300.

Revenue from all accounts totals $3.4 million and expenditures total $1.8 million, leaving a remaining balance of $1.6 million.

The township will carry about $650,000 from the 2009 budget into 2010.

Supervisors said taxes in the township have not been raised for at least 35 years, noting that the millage rate has remained steady at .6 mills.

At that rate, property owners pay $6 for every $10,000 in assessed property value, or $60 for every $100,000 in assessed property value.

However, supervisors cautioned that proposed state legislation that would force townships without a municipal police department to pay for state police protection would cause a tax increase.

Supervisors said they considered raising the Emergency Municipal Services tax from $10 a year to $52 to help pay for rising expenses and police protection if they are required by law, but said they decided not to this year.

The township currently receives $5 of the $10 collected in the tax, with Laurel Highlands School District receiving the other $5. If the tax was increased to $52, the township would receive $47 per person and the school district would continue to receive $5.

Only people who are employed in the township pay the EMS tax.

Supervisors said they believed that raising the EMS tax is the fairest thing to do, if necessary in the future, because people who work but don’t live in the township benefit from road services such as maintenance and snow removal but don’t pay township taxes.

Schiffbauer said local government would be better off if bureaucrats would stay out of municipal government.

“We’d be in better shape if state legislators kept their noses out of our business,” he said.

In addition, supervisors said unfunded mandates from the state have increased general expenses over the last several years.

Frankhouser said paying prevailing wages to repave roads presents a financial hardship on townships because it triples road maintenance expenses, and said that he state is now mandating that all road signs be changed to larger signs by 2012.

Nonetheless, supervisors said they are proud of the 2010 budget and said they carefully guard the taxpayers’ money, noting that low property taxes and prime location make South Union Township attractive to homebuyers and businesses.

Supervisors said the township has witnessed an increase in expenses over the last several years because of an increase in road maintenance and fuel costs, but said the township carefully watches its other expenses to avoid a tax increase.

In other business, supervisors urged residents to be alert of suspicious activity during the holiday season.

Vernon said the township has had numerous vehicles broken into and items stolen, noting that the robbers seem to only target unlocked cars.

“We just want everyone to be aware and make sure you keep your cars locked,” he said.

The supervisors will hold their reorganization meeting at 4 p.m. Jan. 4.

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