Township has a balanced budget
We would like to correct some statements in a recent letter to the editor sent by North Franklin Township resident Robert Sabot.
Rumors come and rumors go, but we believe North Franklin Township residents want, and deserve, the facts. These facts can be found at the township building and would have been provided to Sabot if only he had asked.
North Franklin Township has a balanced budget. The township accounts are as follows:
• General fund, $237,993
• Local share account, $141,806
• State fund, $55,621
• Sewage escrow account, $31,824
• Payroll account, $40,806
• Chartiers Creek fund, $5,394
• Act 13 impact fee account, $494,539, as of Dec. 8.
Some of these accounts can only be used for specific projects. We did not raise the township tax, nor do we need to apply for a tax anticipation loan to pay township bills, as has occurred in prior years. The township will carry a surplus of $1.5 million into 2016, part of which will be used for roads and bond payments.
As to the $106,000 for fire protection that Sabot cited, this figure was arrived at by using the following formula:
• A $40,000 annual donation from the Washington Wild Things as a “payment in lieu of taxes.”
• A $16,000 workers’ compensation payment
• $22,000 in hydrant fees
• $28,000 for the fire relief fund. The fire relief figure is included in the revenue received, therefore it is included in the expenses.
Recently, a part-time police officer was hired as a full-time officer. This is not a new position, since a full-time is leaving the department. The township will still have six full-time police officers and three part-time officers. When Sabot was a supervisor from 1998 to 2003, there were eight full-time officers and four part-time officers. Incidentally, Sabot tried to disband the police department during his tenure, which resulted in a substantial cost to the township. Since that time, he has continually expressed his displeasure with the township continuing to maintain a police department.
Sabot also mentioned the township’s long-term debt in his letter to the editor. The long-term debt includes a bond issue inherited by the current board. The previous board rolled over a bond debt incurred during Sabot’s term and added $2 million for road and infrastructure improvements. The bond cannot be paid back and it must be spent within a specific time period. The current board spent approximately $1.2 million for road projects in 2014 and 2015, and the remainder will be used for future projects.
Martha Ward
Ron Junko
Silvio Passalacqua
North Franklin
Ward, Junko and Passalacqua are supervisors in North Franklin Township.