Buffalo Township officials to raise real estate taxes 9% for next year's budget, purchase new police car and seal more roads

Buffalo Township officials plan to raise taxes by about 9% to help keep up with rising expenses.

Supervisors have proposed hiking the tax rate from 5.5 mills to 6 mills to balance their 2022 budget.

The 0.5-mill increase is projected to generate $30,000 for the township and cost the average property owner about $10 more in taxes next year, supervisor chairman Ron Zampogna III said.

“I think we’re just trying to keep up with the ongoing increases and expenses across the board,” he said.

Projected revenue is listed at $2.78 million and expenses at $2.806 million.

Budget documents indicate the township will pull about $26,000 from its fund equity, or cash-on-hand at the end of the year, to fill the gap. No services have been reduced.

Supervisor Albert Roenigk said elected leaders and administrators thoroughly went through the budget, and found no choice when it came to raising revenue.

“I’m not a tax increase guy, but I know it’s probably necessary,” he said. “The price of everything is going up, and I think there is going to be a little bit of a tax increase.”

Budget documents estimate $415,000 in real estate taxes, $1.6 million in Act 511 taxes including $120,000 in local services tax, $7,200 in business licenses and permits, $12,000 in fines and forfeits, $101,000 in rents and royalties and $168,800 in intergovernmental revenue.

Expenses include $292,000 for general government, including $50,000 for engineer and $35,000 for legal services, $1.035 million for public safety including $575,000 in wages and $25,000 toward a new police car, $552,000 for public works and $712,000 for miscellaneous expenditures including various insurances.

The preliminary budget is available for review at the township office, 109 Bear Creek Road.

Supervisors plan to adopt their 2022 budget at a Dec. 8 meeting.

Buffalo’s most recent tax hike was in 2019, when a 26% real estate tax hike raised taxes from 4.38 mills to 5.5 mills — an increase of 1.12 mills.

Zampogna said the township has made investments in its police and public works fleet this year with the purchase of a new police cruiser and dump truck.

The proposed budget lists $25,000 in both departments’ section for the vehicles’ financing.

The township traditionally paves about eight to 10 streets per year.

Roenigk said public works may be treating more roads next year with fog seal, an application of a diluted slow-setting asphalt emulsion designed to extend the life of existing pavement.

He said doing more traditional paving would be more expensive and require a higher tax increase.

“We get them early before they’re really bad,” Roenigk said about sealing more roads. “If you wait for them to get really bad, you’ll have a lot of holes.”

He also noted the township is working with property owners to address stormwater runoff from private roads onto township streets. Two of the problem areas impact Beale and Parker roads.