Upper Makefield officials are working on a municipal budget for 2024 that currently calls for keeping the township property tax rate the same as this year.
It also calls for finishing paying off debt associated with open space preservation.
Township professionals and the Upper Makefield Board of Supervisors, which locally governs the municipality, reviewed the still-under-construction budget at a meeting on Oct. 3.
Assistant Township Manager Judy Caporiccio said that, as proposed, the municipal millage rate in Upper Makefield would remain 6.45 in 2024.
A mill is equal to $1 of every $1,000 of a property’s assessed value.
To calculate the municipal tax on an Upper Makefield property under the new millage rate, multiply the assessed value of the property by 6.45 and then divide by 1,000.
For instance, a residential property assessed at $70,000 would pay about $451 in township real estate taxes in 2024 if the millage rate holds steady.
County and school district taxes make up much larger portions of a resident’s property tax bill. The township doesn’t control those.
Like other municipalities, Upper Makefield also collects an earned income tax. The EIT rate in Upper Makefield is one half of one percent.
“EIT will remain the same and no new taxes are proposed for 2024,” Caporiccio noted.
For years, the township has been paying down debt it took on to make purchases aimed at preserving open space. Those payments are now poised to end. “As proposed, the township’s open space debt will be paid off in 2024,” Caporiccio said.
Supervisors must still approve the budget. That process will involve reviewing what’s known as the preliminary budget later this month. If supervisors green-light the preliminary budget, it would get advertised and the public will have a chance to review it in depth.
Supervisors would then hold a public hearing on the budget where residents could ask questions and comment. With that hearing concluded, supervisors could then approve the budget for 2024.
In other news, supervisors on Oct. 3 authorized a survey to be sent to residents in Washington Crossing, a historic section of the township from which George Washington embarked on the famous crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas night 1776 during the Revolutionary War.
“In preparation for Pennsylvania’s semi-quincentennial celebrations in 2026, the township is gathering input from those living in the Washington Crossing Village area on potential improvements that could be made,” said Caporiccio. “We anticipate that the survey will be sent within the next two weeks. It has also been circulated to the businesses for their input. As an example, the survey asks recipients to rate factors like parking, lighting and traffic.”
Join our readers whose generous donations are making it possible for you to read our news coverage. Help keep local journalism alive and our community strong. Donate today.
