Bristol Twp. To Keep Tax Rate Steady For 2023, Slight Fee Increases Planned

Bristol Township residents won’t see their tax rate increase, but the waste hauling and street light fee will slightly increase in the new year.

Bristol Township Council voted to approve the $66.7 million spending plan Thursday evening. The budget comes in about $4 million less than the adopted 2022 budget.

The average bill in Bristol Township is projected to be $798.94 in 2023, a jump of $53.25 over 2022. The millage rate will remain flat at 23.98.

Township Manager Randee Elton proudly stated the municipality hasn’t raised taxes in 10 years. In fact, the township slightly lowered the bills a few years ago.

Due to increasing electric costs and a growing number of repairs, the township will raise the street light fee from $27.50 for residential and $62.50 for commercial properties to $30.25 and $68.75 respectively.

“We have a lot of streetlights and we can’t just keep absorbing those costs,” Council President Craig Bowen said.

Bristol Township is in the fifth and final year of their waste hauling contract with Waste Management. Costs have increased and the township is proposing raising the rate by $23 per year, totaling $340 per household.

Bowen said he knows increasing the fee is “tough” for some, but the township needs to raise the rate to cover waste hauling costs.

In the proposed budget, Elton and Finance Officer Francis Phillips wrote they expect revenues in 2023 to increase by $4.6 million due to increased permitting fees from new development, continued increases in earned income tax revenues, and $1.2 million in revenue replacement from the American Rescue Plan Act.

The township plans to use $2 million from its $5.2 million budget surplus to pay down debt service and $100,000 to replenish the blight fund.

The budget reflects pay increases for employees, which have historically been lower than surrounding towns.

“This budget reflects increases in salaries slightly above the regular 4 percent to not only stay competitive but also to express my appreciation for the hard work and dedication this team exhibits daily,” Elton said.

Elton also plans to add an assistant township manager job to her office. She previously held the post, but it was left vacant after she became manager of the county’s second most populated municipality in 2020.

The township has been impacted by inflation and has worked to keep costs down, Elton said.

Due to retirements, the Bristol Township Police Department hired 13 new officers in 2022 and promoted others to fill vacant jobs.

“We will continue to evaluate costs and expenditures in the light of increasing calls for police services. Once back at full strength we will begin to assess the need to hire additional officers,” Elton said.

The Bristol Township Public Works Department plans to add one additional operator job in 2023.

The township expects to spend money on several capital projects, including grants to the volunteer fire companies, heat at the public works garage, replacing police body-worn cameras, upgrades to police in-car cameras, and $5.7 million will be put toward storm and sanitary sewer maintenance, repairs, and upgrades.

Editor’s Note: A paragraph about a new firefighter/inspector position was removed as the information was outdated.

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