1 Mill Increase For Emergency Services In Bensalem Ballot Question

BENSALEM TOWNSHIP, PA —When township residents go to the polls Tuesday, they will be voting on more than some council candidates and school board seats.

This year, residents also have to decide on a ballot question.

On the ballot is this question:

"Shall the Township Council of the Township of Bensalem be authorized to increase the real estate property tax for the operation and maintenance of the ambulance and rescue squads serving the Township by an additional one (1) mill?"

In mid-August, the Bensalem Township Council approved for the increase to go before voters in Tuesday's general election.

At the time, Bensalem's Rescue Squad Director Thomas Topley said the cost might be as much as a plain pizza.

But that cost —possibly $25 a year for the average resident —would help fund the operations of the ambulance and rescue squad as it competes to attract candidates as its staffing continues to shrink and calls continue to rise.

Topley, who has led the rescue squad since 1994, said the squad has not had a tax increase since 2010. He said in 2020, a similar referendum was placed before voters, but rejected.

Topley said that was during the pandemic when people were struggling and many were out of work.

That ballot question sought funds to update the rescue squad's fleet and equipment like 15-year-old heart monitors, but thanks to the support of local legislators like state Sen. Frank Farry and state Rep. Kathleen Tomlinson, the rescue squad was able to make those upgrades.

Now, the squad faces staffing shortages that have plagued others nationwide as well.

Topley said that his squad has lost veterans with experience of 10 and 20 years because its salaries are not competitive. Some have fled to New Jersey, where pay is $10 more per hour, he said.

Topley said his squad handles about 8,600 to 9,000 calls a year and about 12 to 15 percent of Bucks County's overall call volume.

Even if voters approve the ballot question, the township would have to collect the money, meaning that the squad wouldn't see funds until December 2024 or January 2025 at the earliest.