Forks Supervisors Present State of the Township

Supervisors from Forks Township presented the “State of Forks Township” address before members of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday. The luncheon at DeLorenzo’s Italian Restaurant was part of the Business and Commerce Association of Forks meeting, an organization within the Chamber.

Supervisor C. David Howell said the township has a $7.93 million budget and is hopeful that there will be a revenue surplus of $979,000 this year. His optimism is based on growth in the commercial industry. The township also consolidated debt into an $11.3 million loan at 3.65 percent interest for 17 years.

“That tax base is what sustains us,” Howell said.  

Weis Markets is one of the newest businesses coming into the township. The future parking lot of the impending grocery store is full of construction vehicles. Howell said the market will include a restaurant and the township has awarded Weis a liquor license.

The commercial industry is the market for development, he said, because the residential market is maturing. There are areas in the township for commercial development but the rest of the available land is either preserved or designated for future housing developments.

“Every piece of land available for housing is spoken for,” said Howell.

Although the 2010 census figures have not been released yet, Howell expects it to show an increase in population of about 6,600 people. The last census reported a population count of 8,400 people. A residential count in 2009 indicated a population of 13,841 people, he said. Howell thinks the current population will be closer to 15,000.

According to township statistics, the median income is $86,000 for a family in Forks; 73 percent of the citizens live in households, Howell said. Of the citizens 25 years and older, 39 percent of them are college graduates.

“Forks Township is a great market for advertising,” he said.

Additional statistics showed that only 37 percent of the residents were born in Pennsylvania. Howell joked that he has heard people call Forks Township Phillipsburg West. Nine percent of the township residents are from foreign countries, while 91 percent were born in the United States, he said.

The township also looked at the percentages of the tax burden, Howell said. Township taxes amount to 8 percent of the tax burden, while 18.7 percent is county taxes. School taxes amount to the largest percentage of the tax burden at 74 percent, he said. Howell explained that current taxes are set at 5.6 mils and have increased twice in 16 years. Each time, the increase was half a mil.

Overall, Howell considers the township to be financially strong and vibrant. The supervisors are open to new ideas.

David Billings, also a Forks Township supervisor and chairman of the Parks and Recreation Committee, said there are plans for a new 43-acre park. The new park will include an amphitheater, which he hopes will become a focal point of entertainment for the township.

Billings also reported that there are 1,700 youth athletes in the townships nine sports programs. The township also has 1,200 more houses slated to be built. There are 23 full-time police officers and the volunteer fire department accumulated 8,200 hours last year.

Howell told the chamber members that the township supports the fire department with equipment and services. The support provided by the township means that the fire department does not have to organize fundraising, he said.