12-Year Streak Of No Tax Increases Continues In Bristol Township

BRISTOL TOWNSHIP, PA —Bristol Township is keeping its streak alive in passing no municipal tax increase along to residents.

For 12 straight years now, the Bristol Township Council has not increased taxes. That streak continued when the council adopted its 2023 municipal budget at its Dec. 15 meeting.

While there's no tax hike, officials said some user fees are increasing:

• Streetlight assessment will increase $2.75 annually from $27.50 to $30.25.
• The Refuse Fee increase is $33.00 increasing the rate from $317 to $350. The five-year contract ends in 2023. Township officials said they are gathering data from surrounding municipalities who have recently entered new contracts and the amounts have doubled, which caused annual fees to double. This increase is to assist in offsetting the anticipated increase with a new contract price for 2024.
• Residents who send their sanitary sewer to the Croydon Wastewater Treatment Plant System will see a sewer rate increase of 10 percent, rising $10.94 per quarter from $100.94 to $111.03.

Township Manager Randee J. Elton, in a Dec. 15 letter to the council regarding the budget, said the township "realized a much larger than anticipated General Fund revenue at the end of 2021" of $5,214,195, due to real estate transfer tax, building permit revenue, and increased earned income tax received.

"We are fortunate to be able to continue to transfer $2 million to the Debt Fund with this revenue surplus and will transfer an additional $100,000 to the Blight Fund," Elton said.

In 2023, budgeted revenues are projected to increase from $22,629,500 to $27,209,700.

Increases include permitting from increased development, the projection for continued increases in Earned Income Tax, as well as revenue replacement from the American Rescue Plan Act in the amount of $1,204,000.