Board of Supervisors Budget Workshop Meeting

The Board of Supervisors held a budget workshop on October 8, 2018, focused solely on the 2019 General Fund revenue and expense projections. No public comment was offered. The Finance Director presented a detailed line-by-line review of the 2019 draft budget. The Finance Director projected total General Fund revenues of $15,749,996.00, a 3.7% increase over the 2018 projection of $15,687,399.55. Real estate taxes were budgeted at $6,006,057.00, a 0.2% increase, while total enabling taxes, including earned income and real estate transfer taxes, were set at $6,871,500.00, a 3.3% increase. Departmental earnings were projected to rise 40.3% to $834,000.00, driven largely by increased recreational programming revenue. The Finance Director noted that shelter rentals, alcohol permits, and Robin Hill facility use had all increased, and proposed splitting recreational programming into two line items: $125,000.00 for general programming and $30,000.00 for senior programming. The Finance Director also reported that gifts and fundraising revenue would no longer appear in the General Fund, having been moved to a separate sponsorship account. On the expense side, the Police Department budget was projected at $6,155,916.00, a 7.0% increase, with general expenses up 14.4% to $620,800.00. Executive Administration expenses were set at $1,019,544.00, a 12.1% increase, which included a proposed new clerical position. The Engineering Department budget was left unchanged pending a decision on hiring a new township engineer. The board agreed to continue the budget review at the next meeting on October 15, 2018, and adjourned at 8:10 p.m.