Smaller Tax Hike In Final Bensalem School Budget

BENSALEM TOWNSHIP, PA —In a change of course from its preliminary-final budget, the Bensalem Township School Board adopted its 2023-2024 final budget with a smaller tax increase than originally anticipated.

In late May,the school board approved a $173.3 million preliminary-final school budget with a 2.5 percent tax increase, a tax hike school board members felt was needed to offset a 2.53 percent budget increase over the 2022-2023 spending plan.

That increase would have amounted to a $100 tax increase for the average township resident.

But when the board voted Tuesday night, the tax hike was reduced to 1 percent, meaning the average homeowner will pay about $40 more in taxes next year.

In a 16-minute meeting, the school board approved line items for the budget but never mentioned the tax change and did not make any comments to the public about the process.

Most of the budget line items were approved in a 6-3 vote with the first two being approved in a 5-3 vote since School Director Sheldon Per was unavailable when the roll call was given.

School Board President Eric Price and School Directors Marc Cohen and Heather Nicholas voted against the budget.

Cohen told Patch he had voted against the increase due to the economy putting a strain as it is on taxpayers.

"We were able to chop the tax increase down," he said. "But we should still have a balanced budget without a tax increase."

Besides the smaller tax increase than what was approved in the preliminary-final budget, the township's older residents will also get a break.

The school board approved changes to its senior citizen property assistance tax program that will provide some additional relief in the form of a $111 savings next year.

That measure was approved unanimously.