Peters passes budget with no tax increases
Taxpayers in Peters Township won’t see their township taxes go up next year.
Township council unanimously passed its 2016 operating budget of $20.626 million and will hold the its tax rate at 13 mills, with the value of one mill equaling $342,469.
“It’s a realistic financial plan,” said David Ball, council president.
Revenue next year is projected at $17.15 million, down $864,000 from 2015. The 2016 revenue projection does not include a state gas impact fee, which has the potential to add an additional $200,000 to township coffers. That extra funding is currently in limbo because state lawmakers and Gov. Tom Wolf have not reached an agreement on a state budget.
In other business, council held a public hearing on a request by Eddy Land Co., a Bridgeville residential developer, who is building Crossings 6, a high-end patio home development geared toward “active seniors” that is adjacent to school district property, to limit access – specifically school buses – the 15-plus acre site.
“We have issues with bus traffic,” Eddy’s John Moritz told council. “We are targeting high-end buyers of patio homes.”
Moritz was asked if he had any statistics indicating school bus would deter potential buyers. Moritz said he did not.
“I have a hard time imagining two bus trips being an imposition,” council president David Ball said. “If two trips affect the development, then it is a tenuous development to begin with.”
Rebecca Bowman, vice president of the Peters Township School Board, said the district already has students on buses much longer than needed. She said it is simply too much to ask to keep school buses from using the access road that connects Pleasant Valley Elementary and Peters Township High School with the Crossings 6 development.
Council agreed to ask the school district install a gate that would control access to the connector road and eliminate any unnecessary vehicle traffic in Crossings 6.