2023 Budget Adopted With No Tax Hike, Most Warminster Taxes Collected

WARMINSTER, PA —The 2023 municipal budget with no tax increase was wrapped as a Christmas present by township supervisors who adopted the financial plan and also received another holiday surprise.

After Township Manager Tom Scott asked supervisors to approve the preliminary budget at its recent meeting, the board unanimously approved it without discussion.

"We've been through this a million times," Supervisors Chairman Kenneth Hayes said. "It's a balanced budget. There's no tax increase and we're doing ok right now. We don't have the questions so much like years ago. Sometimes this used to go on until midnight."

The $15.7 million budget totals 24.06 mills with 14 mills devoted to the general fund and the rest divided up between public safety, ambulance and fire service, the library, parks and recreation, and debt service.

For the average homeowner with a home assessed at $26,500, that translates to an annual municipal tax bill of $638, or $53 a month.

Tax Collector Bobbie Loftus appeared before supervisors to update them on this year's tax collection.

She said, as of Dec. 15, only 100 people out of 10,400 residents hadn't paid their 2022 tax bill yet. Loftus also added that 80 residents still needed to pay their trash bills.

"That's incredible. That's very nice," Hayes said.

Loftus said that while the municipal budget has so tax increase, there will be an increase in lighting fees for some of the township's nine districts. But some districts will also get a decrease due to LED lighting.

"District 8 will be tickled to death when it goes down $12,000," she said.

Loftus said the largest lighting increase is $3.88 for District 7 for the year. She said District 9 will increase by $3.01, District 1 by $1.16, District 3 by $2.36, and District 6 by 39 cents.

Decreases are $1,200 for District 5, $7.85 for District 2, and $9.86 for District 4.

"Our liens have been very good this year thanks to the residents," she said.

Finance Director John Ramey gave his monthly financial report for the year through the end of October.

He said that revenues were up $378,000 and that the Earned Income Tax was doing better than surrounding municipalities in Bucks County. He said real estate taxes were up $56,000, transfer taxes were down $318,000, and that expenses were down 5 percent, but trending normally.