Chadds Ford Township has a new budget for 2015 and the good news for property owners is that taxes will remain the same as they have been. Supervisors passed the spending plan during their Dec. 3 meeting.
The budget is balanced with revenues and expenses expected to be $1.46 million. The largest sources of income are the various property taxes, including the basic township tax, along with library, hydrant and open space taxes. Combined, they total $445,594.
For residents, that breaks down to 0.495 mills for property taxes, 0.12 mills for the Rachel Kohl Library, 0.228 mills for the open space fund and .095 mills for property owners in fire hydrant districts. A mill is a tax of $1 for every $1,000 in assessed property value.
Salaries for officials and employees for next year will be $1,875 per year for each supervisor; $78,000 for the township manager; $41,600 for the secretary; $48,891 for the treasurer; $8,250 for the fire marshal; and $1,500 for the roadmaster.
Roads and highway services represent the township’s largest single expense. That’s anticipated to be $346,350, but could be closer to $450,000 because of a recently discovered problem with a culvert on Heyburn Road.
Township engineer Joe Mastronardo said the culvert, near Route 1, is rotting and causing a problem with the road surface. He said repairs could cost about $100,000 that hasn’t been budgeted.
Township resident Bruce Prabel lives on Heyburn and said the problem with the road occurs at a curve. If a car is traveling too fast, the bump in the road could force it into the path of oncoming traffic.
Prabel and other residents also talked about another problem concerning Route 1 and Heyburn, involving a “No U-turn” sign facing southbound Route 1 traffic at the intersection.
As reported last month, the sign was installed in October. In order for motorists needing to make a U-turn to go north on Route 1, they now have to drive almost to Creek Road. This affects residents of Southpoint and the business owners and customers of businesses at The Commons.
Southpoint resident Gail Force said police are now ticketing drivers who make the U-turn at Heyburn.
Township secretary Matt DiFilippo said before the meeting that he’s now telling people to drive down to Ring Road and make their U-turns in the township driveway.
Other business
• Supervisors voted to advertise a hearing to consider lowering the speed limit on Brandywine Drive from 35 mph to 25 mph. During a discussion on the matter, the board members agreed to include all other residential township roads that don’t have posted speed limits. That hearing is tentatively scheduled for February.
Supervisor Frank Murphy said the original idea to lower the speed limit on Brandywine Drive was to keep the speed limit consistent with the new leg of the loop road system that’s being built as part of the Wegmans development and to maintain that if and when the Hillman Drive segment of the loop road is built.
• Resident Samantha Reiner gave a brief overview of the township’s Strategic Activities Committee, which was formed in May. Reiner, the committee chair, said the group was asked to review 13 potential projects, including developing a municipal property maintenance code, stormwater management and code enforcement.
Reiner said she’s met with Delaware County Planning officials and with a Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources Stormwater Management specialist to review particulars of the committee’s recommendations and will meet with a team from the Brandywine Conservancy for further review.
Murphy said the committee was formed to look at projects from a more general perspective than the regular standing committees. He said he viewed it as a “think tank” that would be able to “think outside the box.”
• Chadds Ford Township will hold its annual Volunteer Appreciation and Holiday Open House at the township building from 6 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 18. All residents are invited. Appetizers and beverages will be served. Non-perishable donations will be accepted for the Veterans Group. (Donors are asked to call the township at 610-388-8800 for details.)
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
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