December 17, 2021 - ChaddsFordLive.com

Kennett Twp. budget review

Kennett Township residents have about another week to review the proposed 2022 budget before supervisors vote to formalize it.

The supervisors will hold a special meeting at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 28, to vote on formally adopting the 2022 budget and tax rates. The meeting will be both in-person and online through Zoom.

A copy of the budget is available on the township website, Kennett.pa.us, under Finance & HR.

The general fund budget includes a 0.2 mil tax increase for future capital projects. A mil is $1 for every $1,000 of assessed value.

Total real estate taxes in the township are slated to be 2.5 mils — 0.2 mils for the library, 0.4 mils for the general fund, and 1.9 mils for emergency services.

The 2022 general fund budget anticipates $7.762 million in revenue and $6.409 million in expenses.

The open space fund estimates $968,535 in revenue and $622,903 in expenses, the latter of which includes maintenance on Barkingfield Park and Spar Hill/Lord Howe. The liquid fuels fund, with revenue of $309,041 and expenses of $308,000, includes road paving.

The capital fund budget includes about $1.8 million in expenses, such as pipe replacement in Davenport, the township garage roof replacement, and engineering for the Davenport project. The sewer fund budget has revenues of $1.356 million and expenses of $1.347 million.

About Monica Fragale

Monica Thompson Fragale is a freelance reporter who spent her life dreaming of being in the newspaper business. That dream came true after college when she started working at The Kennett Paper and, years later The Reporter newspaper in Lansdale and other dailies. She turned to non-profit work after her first daughter was born and spent the next 13 years in that field. But while you can take the girl out of journalism, you can’t take journalism out of the girl. Offers to freelance sparked the writing bug again started her fingers happily tapping away on the keyboard. Monica lives with her husband and two children in Kennett Square.

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Road Report for Dec. 18 to Dec. 24

Along the Ford

PennDOT has announced the following road projects, which are weather-dependent and could affect drivers in the greater Chadds Ford area during the week of Dec. 18 to Dec. 24. Motorists are urged to allow extra time to travel through one of the construction zones. Work schedules are subject to change.

• Utility construction on Route 202 at Watkins Avenue in Concord Townshipcontinues through Dec. 22. The work will cause lane closures.

• Motorists should expect flaggers on Bethel Road between Garnet Mine and Featherbed roads in Concord Township between Dec. 20 and 24 because of culvert repair.

• Gas service installation will be performed on Ridge Road at Pleasant Lane in Chadds Ford Township through De3c. 21. Motorists should expect daytime lane closures.

• Planned utility work will cause a lane closure on S. High Street at E. Nields Street in West Chester through Dec. 21.

• PECO utility work will cause lane closures on Market Street between Fulton and 8^thstreets in West Chester from dec. q21 through Jan. 30.

• Aerial maintenance will cause daytime lane shifts on Route 926 between Byrd and Newark roads in West Marlborough Township through Dec. 30.

• Aerial maintenance will cause daytime lane shifts on Route 926 between Newark Road and West Baltimore Pike in West Marlborough Township through Dec. 30.

• Storm damage has forced the closing of the Street Road Bridge over the White Clay Creek in West Marlborough Township. PennDOT is listing the closure as indefinite.

• Storm damage also closed Embreeville Road Bridge over the West Branch over the Brandywine Creek in Newlin Township. That closure, too, is listed as indefinite.

About CFLive Staff

See Contributors Page https://chaddsfordlive.com/writers/

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Boost Your Business: Write that plan

Business

If you’ve been delaying writing your business plan, or you need to update your plans for the new year, there is no better time than now. In addition to celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa this month, December is National Write a Business Plan Month!

Writing a business plan is an opportunity to carefully think through every step of starting your company or launching a new service or product, or even just a chance to reevaluate the original plan you had for your business. This is your chance to discover any weaknesses in your business idea, identify opportunities you may not have considered, and plan how you will deal with challenges that may arise.

All business owners, entrepreneurs, and heads of marketing know that you must conduct a full industry analysis, research customer personas, and create marketing and financial plans. Most importantly, almost every business has changed due to COVID, and now is the opportune time to address that before we start 2022.

The Executive Summary

I suggest starting with your executive summary. List your company goals, your personal goals within the company, your mission statement, and your vision for the following year(s). If an existing company, list the successes and challenges your business experienced the previous year(s) and what areas you need to improve upon. Starting at the beginning and detailing every step of the way is the best strategy for a successful business plan.

The Industry Analysis

After you’ve detailed the executive summary, you’ll dig into the industry analysis. COVID has changed how each market performs and what customers have come to expect. So, during this phase, you’ll dig deeper into the changes your industry has seen, what COVID has changed, and how your customers have responded to those changes.

The Mission Statement

After you know what’s going on in your industry, you’ll flesh out your company’s goals for the following year. Write (or rewrite) your mission statement based on what you want to accomplish for your customers. Know everything about your customers: their likes, dislikes, shopping habits, favorite places to eat, etc. The more you know, the better you can dig into their true wants and desires in a way that can only help your company. Knowing everything about your customer personas will help you edge out your competitors. Remember, the more specific you address your audience, the better.

The Budget

Next, you need to work out your budget. You can’t start your marketing or plan any promotions until you have a full 2022 budget finalized.

After The Business Plan

Don’t forget to write your Marketing Plan – – Click HERE to learn more.

With a full business plan, including promotions, budget, and knowing who is in charge of what, you will find the new year begins just a little easier. Yes, you can make small tweaks throughout the year as needed but having a starting point for the next 12 months will ensure you keep your business on the right track. If you need help creating a business or marketing plan, let us know. If the plan is finished but you need assistance with accomplishing the goals, we can assist with that too! We want to see you successful in 2022.

Contact Info:
Maria L. Novak Marketing Solutions & Business Development, www.Maria-L-Novak.com
610-405-0633, Maria@ Maria-L-Novak.com

About Maria Novak Dugan

Maria L. Novak Dugan is president of Marketing Solutions & Business Development, a firm serving Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland, offering creative marketing services and goal implementation for small businesses. She has more than 30 years’ experience in the Marketing & Sales Industry ... 13 of those as the sole sales representative for a Pennsylvania payroll company growing their client base by over 500%. Maria Novak Dugan is also the former Managing Director of the Delaware Chapter of eWomenNetwork. Creating, developing, and conducting this division of a national organization strengthened her knowledge of networking, event planning, fundraising, and small-business development. For more information, contact Maria at 610-405-0633 or Maria@Maria-L-Novak.com or visit www.Maria-L-Novak.com

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