Township Funds

It’s easy for taxpayers to say, “I pay my taxes, I want MY road fixed!” But, do you know what your taxes go towards?

Your local government starts at the municipal level. Run by a three member board of supervisors who are elected into office by the electors of the municipality, this board makes all decisions on behalf of the township.

So, what kind of decisions is your board of supervisors responsible for? Some aspects of municipal government are:

• Road Maintenance
  • The township roadcrew is only responsible for township owned roads. State owned roads are maintained by the state (PennDOT) and privately owned roads (such as in an HOA) are maintained by the property owners. To find a list of township owned roads, click here
• Land Use
  • This includes things like combining two lots into one lot, subdividing one lot into numerous lots, and building commercial structures. This is governed by the Subdivision & Land Development Ordinance, which can be found here
• Building Inspections
  • The International Building Code is enforced at the local level. Our township contracts a third party building inspection company, Bureau Veritas, to perform inspections and issue permits in the township. More information can be found here
• Sewage Enforcement
  • Along the lines of building inspections, certain regulations must be followed for installing and maintaining a septic system. The township’s Sewage Enforcement Officer handles this. His information can be found here
• Enforcement of Local Laws
  • Local laws, also known as ordinances, govern the health, safety, and welfare of the township residents. The township adopts ordinances to regulate junkyards, dangerous structures, short-term rental properties, outdoor fires, and signs. These laws are meant to protect the residents and provide a safe community. They can be found here

“Where does the township get funds from?”

In order for the board of supervisors to properly complete their responsibilities, funds are required. Funding for townships comes from many different sources, the main source being taxes.

The township receives funds from some other sources, too. These include:

• Fines and forfeits which come from the District Court Magistrate and Probation Fines.
• Interest on township funds that are deposited into interest bearing accounts such as money markets and CDs.
• State payment in lieu of taxes which comes from state owned land.

“So use the Liquid Fuels Fund (LFF) to pave my road.”

With all the funds received by the township, you may wonder where they all go. For example, in 2023 the township received $169,255 from LFF for the maintenance of the twenty-two roads totaling 34.65 miles that are owned by Greene Township. In order to maintain the road equipment, trucks, and other machinery, $38,165 was spent. Another $32,976 was spent on material to repair and maintain the actual roads by filling potholes, fixing washouts, and spreading cinders. $14,512 was spent for fuel to operate the equipment.

After deducting all the expenses, the township was left with approximately $83,600 of liquid fuels money at the end of 2023.

The most recent paving project the township did was to pave a portion of Valley View Road and a portion of Saw Mill Road in 2021. The paved area totalled about 1 mile of road and cost $186,358. Since then, material and expenses have increased substantially.

Therefore, the funds received from Liquid Fuels is not enough to cover the current expense of paving even 1/2 mile of road.

Bridges

In addition to road maintenance, the township is also responsible to maintain numerous bridges in the area. Township owned bridges include Lake Russell Road Bridge, Saw Mill Road Bridge, Mozzette Road Bridge, among others. Many of these bridges are in severe condition and require repair or replacement. Click here to see the bridge conditions in our township.

Lake Russell Road Bridge was just repaired (not replaced) in 2023 and cost approximately $268,000.

Even if we do get awarded money, many grants require the township to match a portion of the cost and pay other expenses that are not covered under the grant money, such as engineering and administration costs. And many grants do not award the full amount requested. So, in an effort to have the substantial funds required for bridge repairs and replacements, the township must keep saving money to eventually complete these projects.

“So what about my taxpayer dollars?”

Other sources of income for the township may be used to pave roads. However, these funds must also be allocated for general operating expenses, too. The township office is open to the public four days a week. A secretary and treasurer perform the duties of paying bills, depositing funds, answering resident inquiries, accepting land development submissions, completing employee paperwork, ordering supplies, and many other tasks.

The road work that’s required is completed by a road crew. Greene Township’s road crew currently consists of three full time employees and one part time employee.

Other operating expenses include the cost of keeping the township facilities running. Heating, electric, internet and phone, postage, website, solicitor, park maintenance, and many other fees are required to keep the township operating.

Between the general municipal operating costs, payroll, insurance on township buildings and equipment, there are a lot of expenses which are paid for with taxpayer dollars.

Other Township Expenses

Other expenses that are the responsibility of the township:

• Workers’ Compensation Insurance for volunteer fire companies – Promised Land Volunteer Fire Company & a portion of Greene-Dreher Volunteer Fire Company.
• Clean Up Day – in 2023, the annual clean up day for township residents cost approximately $5,742. The fees paid by residents who participated generated only $2,785, leaving an almost $3,000 gap.
• Memberships – memberships which provide resources and training to township officials and employees, such as the membership to the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS).
• Tax Collector – the tax collector receives 3.5% compensation for all taxes collected.
• Engineering – certain road work requires a licensed engineer to review.
• Advertising – the township legally must advertise meetings and other requirements in a paid newspaper of general circulation.

“So how do we get more funding?”

There are two ways to increase township funds:

1. Raise Taxes
2. Lower Expenses

DID YOU KNOW? – Taxes have not been raised in Greene Township in 16 years!

The quickest way to increase revenue to fix roads and pay expenses is to raise taxes. However, all of the township supervisors throughout the past 16 years have not done so. Raising taxes is a last resort, as the supervisors strive to keep them affordable.

Lowering expenses is another way to keep funds that are required. Many steps have been taken recently to try to lower township expenses. Energy efficient windows were installed in the meeting room/offices, heating oil quotes are received from numerous suppliers to ensure the lowest price, insurance was switched to a company with a lower premium, and other cost effective implementations.

The Bottom Line

While the township does plan to eventually pave and repair all roads and bridges, it is a long-term goal. Each year a budget is developed and adopted to allocate funds to all areas required. While the township budget is available for inspection before it’s adopted (click here), residents are also encouraged to attend budget meetings, and all other township meetings.