No tax hike in Elizabeth Township budget

By Christine Haines

chaines@yourmvi.com

Elizabeth Township Commissioners adopted the 2021 budget Monday with no increase in taxes.

The meeting lasted just 10 minutes, with no members of the public offering comment on the $7.73 million spending plan. Commissioners also adopted a $4.2 million sanitary budget that holds the line on sewage fees for the year.

They praised the work of interim office manager Greg Butler in putting together the budgets. Butler said the township budget was based on worksheets prepared by department heads, the 2019 and 2020 budgets and a four-year average of budget line items to come up with a conservative revenue and spending plan for next year. 

The budget includes $100,000 for a township manager, a position that remains unfilled. It also includes $70,000 for an office manager, which is also open, though Butler, the township’s assistant code enforcement officer,  is currently carrying out those duties.

New to the budget this year is an additional $50,000 to use toward public relations based on the township’s comprehensive plan. The proposed budget also includes an increased amount for a township business directory that has been in planning stages and will soon be ready to print.

Also new to the budget is $16,000 for a computer server and battery backup for the administrative computers. Commissioners will consider a contract with a company to handle information technology maintenance on a regular basis.

Present for the special meeting to adopt the budget were commissioners Kyle Walk, Bart Rocco, Andrew Kuzma, Rich Algeri and Dan Poirier. Missing were commissioners Joanne Beckowitz and Rob Rhoderick.