W. Penn to advertise 2020 budget with no tax increase

A few changes here and a few tweaks there have enabled West Penn Township to arrive at a balanced budget for 2020.

On a 2-0 vote, supervisors Monday morning agreed to advertise next year’s spending plan with no tax increase. Supervisor Tim Houser was absent.

If the board were to adopt next year’s budget with no tax increase, it would leave the millage rate in check at 4.75 mills.

Earlier in the meeting, board Chairman Tony Prudenti read a letter sent to the township from Penn-Mahoning Ambulance.

Supervisor Ted Bogosh noted that the township currently gives the organization $40,000.

Prudenti then suggested giving them an additional $5,000.

Township treasurer Karen Wittig reminded the board that they needed to cut anywhere from $20,000 to $25,000 to balance the budget.

Prudenti said he would still like to see the organization receive another $5,000.

The board then heard from township roadmaster Clint Schock, who said he would like to add a full-time employee.

Bogosh asked Schock what the advantage would be to having another full-timer as opposed to several part-time seasonal workers.

“Availability,” Schock said. “I’m pulling my hair out; I can’t keep up.”

However, Prudenti said he wasn’t in favor of adding a full-timer.

Bogosh said that while he would like to add one, the township can’t afford it.

By the end of the workshop, supervisors were able to balance the budget by decreasing bridge repairs from $200,000 to $197,264; adding $25,000 from the police department’s impound lot as an increase; and increasing its contribution to the Penn-Mahoning Ambulance from $40,000 to $45,000.

Last month, supervisors at their regularly scheduled bimonthly meeting took a pair of votes related to recent vehicle purchases.

At that time, the board agreed to rescind a motion to buy two new Dodge pickups for the township police department that had been approved earlier that month.

Afterward, the board then agreed to buy two new Chevrolet pickups instead for the department.

Also just before that workshop, the board agreed to include $11,000 as a trade that would be used as part of the purchase of a smaller plow truck for the township road department.

Supervisors held their initial meeting on the 2020 budget in October and met with the department heads from the police and road departments.

At that time, Johnson said his department would like to add two new pickups in the amount of $85,000, and had received both five and four-year quotes.

Also at that time, township Schock told supervisors his department could use a smaller plow truck that would cost around $85,000.

Supervisors are expected to grant final adoption of the budget at its monthly morning meeting on Dec. 16.

In December, supervisors adopted this year’s $2,561,361 spending plan with no tax increase.