By CHRISTINE HAINES
[email protected]
Forward Township supervisors Monday closed out the year by adopting a balanced 2020 budget with no tax increase and purchasing a building.
Vice Chairman David Magiske said there are no major changes in the budget of $1,692,335, up slightly from the $1,560,250 budget for 2019. Some categories, such as general government, police and recreation spending are down, while the expenses for public safety, highways, roads and streets and recreation saw increases for the coming year. The property tax rate will remain at .0195 mills.
“The budget this year was unusual because we could not estimate how much EQT income we would have,” Magiske said.
Magiske said corporate changes seem to indicate that EQT will be focusing its gas well operations on Fayette and Greene counties in Pennsylvania, as well as in Ohio, so the township has no idea how much money, if any, will be coming from the natural gas company for various permits in 2020. The township was able to complete several special projects and road repairs using the funds generated by EQT permits in 2019.
In addition to adopting the budget, the supervisors voted to purchase the cement block building at 2700 Scenery Drive from Supervisor Thomas DeRosa for $300,000. The two-story cement block building directly across Route 51 from the township building was appraised by an independent appraiser for $350,000, Magiske said. DeRosa abstained from voting.
Magiske said the building, with six large garage bays, will allow the township to store all of its equipment indoors.
“It’s going to put us in a good position to work on our equipment in the winter and house it year round,” Magiske said.
DeRosa had permitted the township to utilize the building in December so township employees could overhaul the police cars.
“Last month alone we saved about $6,000 with our guys working on our police cars,” Supervisor Ron Skrinjorich said.
Magiske said the township will look into getting a tax exemption from county and school district taxes for the property now that it is owned by the township.
To read the rest of the story, please see a copy of Tuesday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at http://monvalleyindependent.com.