No tax hike for Kidder residents

The board of supervisors for Kidder Township unanimously voted to adopt the 2010 budget on Thursday night. Larry Polansky explained the good and the bad about the 2010 budget for Kidder Township.

The adopted budget called for no tax increase for the township. While Kidder Township was one of a few townships to not increase taxes, the township will have to use close to $400,000.00 in reserve funds. The board is hoping that economic conditions within the county will turn around.

The township receives the majority of its revenue from the commercial enterprises in the county. Raising taxes would only increase the already economic depressed conditions for these businesses.

If conditions do not improve for the township, the next step would be to have layoffs. One of the first places that would be hit by layoffs would be the police department and township staff. The board has already placed strict budget constraints on township staff in hopes of saving money to prevent layoffs..

The board of supervisors had several budget planning meetings to see where they could trim the budget to save the township money. The board was able to make the 2010 budget $180,000.00 less than the 2009 Kidder Township budget.