The Amity Township Board of Supervisors unanimously approved on Dec. 17 a 2015 budget of $4 million with no tax increase.
Taxes will remain at 1.95 mills.
Properties with an assessed value of $100,000 pay an annual tax bill of $195.
Township Manager Charles E. Lyon confirmed that the township will receive $165,000 in earned income tax revenue by Dec. 31 and avoid a budget deficit.
The township’s fund balance will be $2.4 million.
Prior to the Board of Supervisors meeting, the township’s Act 209 (Traffic Impact) Committee met and unanimously approved the Transportation Capital Improvements Plan.
The plan includes the “Future Pass-Through Transportation Capital Improvements Program” and the “Future Development Transportation Improvements Program” through 2026.
Based upon the findings by Bogia Engineering, Inc., Wyomissing, the township can reduce its Traffic Impact Fees.
The current fees are $2,094.25 in Traffic Service Area North and $2,076.04 in TSA South.
If approved by the board at a later date, the revised fees charged to developers in TSA North would be $899.52 and $705.12 in TSA South.
Supervisor Richard L. Gokey asked Gregg Bogia, company president, to confirm that the revised fees would be sufficient to fund capital improvements from residential and commercial growth.
“[We have] lowered the growth expectation that occurred during the housing boom,” Bogia said, adding, “It is a more normalized growth rate for the township and the county.”
The total costs of the township’s Transportation Capital Improvements Plan for pass-through and development improvements are approximately $5,759,984.90.
Fifty-percent of that cost would be paid by PennDOT, 45 percent by developers, and five percent by the township.
Bogia said one factor for the high impact fee in TSA South was the township’s assertion that it would need to widen Route 422 by 2015.
He said township officials could begin the capital improvements projects by first contacting officials at the Reading Area Transportation Study Metropolitan Planning Organization, and then coordinating with PennDOT.
Amity Fire Rescue Chief Michael Zomolsky said the fire department raised approximately $15,000 from its recent fundraising campaign.
He said the department hopes to receive FEMA grant funds next year to assist in purchasing a new $700,000 rescue truck.
That truck would replace their 2002 truck that was acquired in 2008 for $200,000.
Zomolsky said the new rescue truck is needed for its twice daily responses to accidents on Route 422.
