2nd mill of tax for Washington Township Volunteer Fire Company prompts 1 mill tax hike in 2023

Real estate taxes in Washington Township will rise by 1 mill under the 2023 proposed budget.

The proposed $3.5 million spending plan will come up for final passage at the township supervisors’ Dec. 8 meeting.

Rich Gardner, supervisors chairman, said the tax increase is specifically to benefit the Washington Township Volunteer Fire Company No. 1. He said it is something the township has been doing to help finance fire protection in the township.

“The taxes were increased to give them 1 mill of taxes in 1998,” he said. “We haven’t done anything since then and felt that they needed more.”

According to Gardner, a mill of taxes brings in about $79,000 in revenue. That means with the pending tax increase, the fire department will receive $158,000 per year from the township.

Township Manager Lynn Stascak said restrictions because of the pandemic hurt the fire department’s fundraising program, which is a major source of financial support. As a result, she said, the department’s officials had requested some additional help from the township.

“They came to us in 2021, so that was something (the supervisors) were looking at, to see how we can help them out,” Stascak said.

The proposed budget is about $430,000 higher than this year’s plan. Stascak attributed the increase to the additional mill of taxes and to more real estate taxes from new housing in the township.

“We have done a lot of new housing,” she said. “Mobile homes have been up for the past two years, so that’s really helped us out.”

She said although there is a revenue increase, with the exception of the fire department allocation, expenditures are basically the same as the current year.