Bristol Township officials unveiled their proposed budget for 2017 this week.
The $55.274 million budget keeps the municipal tax millage rate at 23.98 while increasing spending by $2.5 million.
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Township Manager Bill McCauley said the proposed budget would “rebuild the organization by adding staff but is fiscally conservative as well.”
The proposed budget includes investing $6 million in its wastewater treatment and adding a clarifier to create more capacity to end a moratorium on the collection system. In addition, the budget invests $1 million to deal with vacant properties, pays for several infrastructure improvements and adds a full-time building inspector and parks and recreation director to fill more programs. The budget also has funds to make one police department community service officer a full-time employee.
“While we are doing well now, it’s the future that is a concern,” the township manager said.
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McCauley explained that rising healthcare and retirement costs, many built into employee union contracts, are hurting Bristol Township’s longterm financial outlook and could one day lead to bankruptcy.
The township’s unfunded liabilities are down from $91 million in 2014 and are now around $85 million.
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“We’ve cut cost everywhere possible,” McCauley said, adding the township has added to its services.
Earlier this year, McCauley told council that the township came in $1.1 million under budget and earned $1.6 million in higher than expected revenues in 2015. The better-than-expected numbers gave the township a $2.7 million surplus in the general fund for 2016.
Revenue sources to the local government are flat over previous years and the addition of Earned Income Taxes in Bensalem and Middletown have taken some revenue from Bristol Township, according to McCauley.
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The council will vote on the proposed budget at their next meeting in December.
