I was a bit surprised, maybe naive, to see that the borough tax rate was much higher than the townships (tax on a $50,000 assessment, 2009 Budget):
- Nazareth - $510, $3.2M Budget
- Bushkill - $275, $7.34M Budget
- Lower Nazareth - $207.5, $3.4M Budget
- Upper Nazareth - $175, $2.3M Budget
I am surprised that Bushkill's budget is so much bigger than everyone else's.
Finally, in light of how much less in tax the residents are paying in the townships, I hope when it comes time for Library funding these townships pay their requested share and don't claim poverty as they have in recent years.
4 comments:
Bushkill is 25 square miles compared to Nazareth which is 1.7 square miles. Bushkill also has a higher population than Nazareth. The disparity in the budgets should not come as a surprise.
I assume your point on the library funding is that the townships should raise their taxes to support the library? That's very Lesky of you.
Ross
If you want to see how well the money isn't spent look at our roads. Then look at the size of our police force. Per square mile it is as large or larger then Colonial's force. This is what occurs when no one gives a damn about local government.
One possible reason for the difference is the amount of infrastructure in the borough as opposed to the townships.
Nazareth has sewer, storm water management, street lights and side walks, just to name a few.
We have none of these (at least in LNT), and things like septic and storm water management (swails, detention/retention ponds) maintenance is placed on the property owner.
As for the library, I have to agree with you on the funding. It is an asset that all residents of the area can use, so all should ante up for that service. Otherwise, the library should prohibit residents of those townships from using it (which Bethlehem Library does now).
Bushkill's budget is nearly the same as the Borough, Upper, and Lower combined, regardless of size that is a big budget.
Yes, I am saying if they can't do it with their existing taxes they should raise them.
I'm not complaining about my borough taxes. I've seen the budgets, heard the conversations and discussions. There might be some waste, but there is overall a good use of funds.
I'm proud that they support the library as well as community events. They have a plan for road repair and other required maintenance. They do as much as they can with the money they have related to police enforcement (though here I think they still could do a bit better).
A library is not a need to have (such as utilities and safety), but it is the greatest resource a community can have and we are fortunate to have a very good one.
If your township has enough tax revenue for a budget that large, but turns its back on a such a tremendous community benefit, you probably have the wrong people leading you.
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