Please
double check all things before accepting anything as fact
10-13
See the
Budget page
for a link to the actual October proposed 2014 working budget
and a discussion about Stormwater Fees and taxes
that is contained therein . To add to the myth (see below)
of 19 years with no taxes, they have decided to add a stormwater
fee rather than to increase the taxes to cover the duties of the
Engineer, Mike Powers , to do the proper stormwater work .
More smoke and mirrors . It is his job to manage
stormwater. Instituting a whole separate program and and
another fee to collect is far costlier . And there is really NO
WAY to fairly distribute this fee to those who cause more
runoff . Powers plan currently proposes (presented in parts at
Oct 3 & 10th & 24th meetings ) to tax R1 perhaps 40 dollars and
R4 only ten. But any given r4 property might be all
concrete with no trees while another may have swails , rain
gardents and lits of trees . It is silly. A simple
tax to reflect what the engineering costs would be no less fair
and far easier for all.
Because the fund balance is so high they are not looking like
they will impose a tax increase.
2013 We still cannot get a clear view of the
tax collector's office
and the real "in and out" of the taxes
11-10 Ordinance 1994 - really just another fee .
(inspections before sale ) On Dec 9, 2010, the
Commissioners will hold a hearing for Ordinance 1994.
Originally this ordinance was to require an inspection of
many items before the sale of the house could take place. The
seller had to bring his house before selling . This, of
course, is somewhat ludicrous since he might have been allowed
to live for years and years and years in the Township without
bringing his house up to code. If having it to code it is
important, then it shouldn't just be for someone leaving the
Township.Under great protest, the Township staff relented and
rewrote the ordinance so that only smoke detectors , carbon
monoxide detectors and house numbers had to be in compliance ,
but a $50 fee had to be paid to obtain a certificate of
occupancy after these were inspected. This of course is also
ludicrous, if you can obtain a certificate of occupancy
with just these two or three things, then the certificate itself
has very little meaning. In addition, home inspections
generally would note, or should note, these items and they
have always been the responsibility of the buyer and seller to
work out. There is no need for the Township to further intrude,
other than to collect a fee. And since even homeowners who are
in compliance already would have to obtain this certificate of
occupancy, then it is a particularly onerous tax on people who
are correctly obeying the law and being good citizens. It
is time to stop the senseless taxes and fees--
read more about this
ordinance here
2010 The Myth of 19 years with no increase......
Despite the Commissioners touting in 2009 ( and many years
prior) that they had held the line on property taxes for 19
years - that is hardly the truth. Rather than raising taxes,
they removed services, instituted additional taxes with
new names and converted some covered services to fees. An
accurate picture is nearly impossible to obtain, because
they only give one small piece of it at a time. But believe me,
my taxes, fees and costs have gone up virtually every year with
maybe a couple of exceptions over the past 2 decades.
8-09 Do Abington taxpayers deserve to have
an accurate picture of the tax office ????? I have been
trying to do that since Fall 08 and have been given the
royal run -around . In a township that has at least twice had
tax office irregularities and even a tax collector that earned a
prison term, I find this inexcusable. I cannot
get a straight answer out of anyone with a single figure
for the complete cost of collecting all our taxes & the
percentages collected - not from my Commissioner, tax
collector, nor township manager . One figure. One I think
they should know & would compare & manage as new candidates came
to the job . As these candidates are elected, the parties that
are endorsing them should also be privy to this information and
know how their candidates planned to stream-line the office.
I was directed originally to the budget, from which the
answer is not readily discernable. I am now being directed,
after months of partial answers, to the audit report - who knows
how many pages at 25 cents a page . Will the answer even be
there?
I was more interested in knowing that my Commissioner & manager
KNEW it ---- that there was some oversight going on with our
funds. If they do know it and are refusing to divulge it,
shame on them . And residents and media personnel ----- will
this not be a feature of the squaring off of the
candidates.......
Click here to see what we've got so far.......
6-09 TAX ABATEMENTS - currently under
discussion is whether to give 10-year tax abatements on
commercial properties throughout the townships in special areas
that or blighted or otherwise meet
LERTA program guidelines.
Click to see the details- as this is a larger issue
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1-08 The LST TAX - Effective January 1, 2008, Abington Township has levied an
annual Local Services Tax, which replaces the former
Occupational Privilege Tax of Ten Dollars ($10.00). The tax is
assessed upon those who engage in an occupation with a primary
place of employment within the Township of Abington. The Local
Services Tax is an annual amount of no more than Fifty-Two
Dollars ($52.00) assessed on a pro rata basis in accordance with
Abington Township Ordinance 1954. The full text of the
Ordinance and appropriate forms are available on the Township's
website. Link:
Ordinance 1954 . While the new LST
tax is levied on all businesses in Abington , certain businesses
have already been given tax breaks by way of tax
abatements. In a policy that allows a loose determination
of what is and isn't blighted, certain properties are being
designated blighted (even when you prior attempts have been made
to get owners to improve them ) and these properties were
offered 5 year tax abatements ( future tax abatements considered
were for 10 years - and the 5 year plans were extended . )
This allows certain developers, even wealthy ones who may not be
financially strapped, to receive assistance from residents or
other businesses that might be strapped. So while some may
leave because of tax burdens, others will find themselves in an
unfair & uneven system of taxation
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12-07-THE FUND BALANCE As discussions circulated about the
addition of the LST tax during the budget period at the end of
2007, this writer was unaware of the millions of dollars in
excess that was held in the fund balance. We were also
unaware when we were trying to get the channel up and running
to air iportant meetings and were told there was no money for
it.
Each year 10-12
million is available in unbudgeted funds. Approximately 2.5
million is required to be kept there as a buffer and an
additional 1.5 million or so is needed for accounting
expenses ( not sure why these aren't in the budget..? )
But some thought or question should go into WHY we are taxing
additionally when so much is unbudgeted. These unbudgeted
funds allow Commissioners the freedom, outside of the normal
budget process, to approve projects that they find compelling.
But if these projects were inside the budget process, they might
get the ax - if residents were voting - in favor of flood
control measures or other important projects that lie
waiting for funds.
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