What you need to know
Directors voted 6-1 in favor of the adoption, with board member Shelley Sekula-Gibbs opposed, maintaining the tax rate of $0.1714 per $100 of home valuation in FY 2025. The township's fiscal year runs from January to December.
While the tax rate for FY 2025 is the same as the adopted FY 2024 tax rate, this will translate to an increase in property tax revenue since the township did not approve a no-new-revenue rate.
Sekula-Gibbs voted against the tax rate, citing concerns over inflation and rising costs of living for residents. However, during budget workshops the board identified an additional $8.8 million in improvement needs which prompted the board to not seek the no-new-revenue rate.
In their words
“I have suggested, actually at the board workshops, and I'll suggest again, that we reconsider tightening our belts on behalf of the residents,” Sekula-Gibbs said. “I think we should have tightened our belts a little bit more during the workshop, rather than just acquiescing to maintaining the existing tax rate.”
“This action right here is really the official action of adopting the tax rate, and you do that through adopting this order to levy the tax rate,” township President and CEO Monique Sharp said. “So that's the point we're at right now.”
