While Birmingham and Concord townships passed their respective budgets this week, Chadds Ford Township supervisors punted. The Dec. 6 meeting had the budget on the agenda, but a prolonged and sometimes testy conversation caused the Board of Supervisors to continue the meeting until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 13. The budget must be passed by Dec. 31.
That prolonged conversation began with resident Mark Stookey challenging the reason for a possible fire tax and asking the Board of Supervisors why there’s an apparent 25 percent increase in proposed township property tax revenue, going from $265,000 in 2023 to $330,000 next year.
Stookey was not the only resident questioning the need for a fire tax. Debbie Dean, tax collector Valerie Hoxter and several others also wanted to understand, even suggesting that the Concordville Fire and Protective Association’s budget be audited.
There was no clear-cut or direct answer to either of those challenges, but Supervisors’ Chairman Samantha Reiner said there had been a fire tax previously. Township treasurer Laura Lim added that the township had only that morning found a 2011 email from former township Manager Joe Barakat saying the fire tax would be moved into the general fund tax to eliminate a separate line item on the budget.
After almost three hours worth of roundabout talking, the supervisors voted to continue the meeting to 5 p.m. next Wednesday, Dec. 13. During that session, members of the fire company are to answer questions from the public as to why the fire department needs more money.
It should be noted that Lee Weersing, president of the Concordville Fire Co., and Fire Chief Bob Vasek were at the township’s 10 a.m. public budget meeting on Nov. 15. Weersing said then, as he’s been saying the other townships Concordville serves, that volunteers are not long coming forward to serve anymore and that the company has had to go to paid firefighters.
The township has been giving the fire company $65,000 yearly, but the company was asking for $189,000.
While Reiner had said several times during the past few months that Chadds Ford should consider a fire tax, it was during the Nov. 15 meeting when a proposed millage of 0.11 mils was mentioned. As reported then, Lim said that millage would bring in $102,300 per year for the fire company and that it would amount to about a $55 increase in annual taxes on a property assessed at $500,000. Supervisor Noelle Barbone added that would average out to about $4.58 per month.
While specifics of the proposed budget were not brought up during the Dec. 6 meeting, they were discussed during the Nov. 15 session. Millage rates other than the possible fire tax include 0.352 mils for the general fund, 0.0072 mils for Rachel Kohl Library, 0.166 mils for open space, and 0.067 mils in fire hydrant zones. (A mil is a tax of $1 for every $1,000 of assessed property value.)
A copy of the proposed 2024 budget can be found here.
Other business
Before that long discussion, however, the board granted conditional use approval for Piazza Auto Group to have Hyundai and Genesis car dealerships in the 1500 block of Route 202. There were 18 conditions for the approval including building a trail along Oakland Road to the Brinton 1704 House, keeping test drives off residential streets, and making sure all automobile deliveries are made on the property, not on Route 202.
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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