Property owners in Buffalo Township are looking at a 26 percent real estate tax hike next year.

Supervisors this week approved a $2.3 million budget that will see taxes raised from 4.38 mills to 5.5 mills — an increase of 1.12 mills.

It’s the township’s first tax increase in five years.

The change will mean a home with an average assessed value of $20,760 will see its taxes increase from about $91 this year to roughly $114 next year, an increase of about $23. One mill is worth $70,000 to the township, according to officials.

Supervisors Chairman Ron Zampogna said a variety of expenses increased over the past five years that forced officials to raise the tax rate.

“We were fortunate to operate as diligently as we can,” Zampogna said “But we have a growing population. We had to add another police officer and another road crew worker.”

Health care costs were cited as another culprit regarding the tax increase.

The 2019 budget is actually $200,000 less than this year. But the township will have to come up with money for several 2018 line items that went over what was budgeted, including public safety cost overruns of $52,500 and snow and ice removal casts that were $63,500 more than budgeted.

Next year, $450,000 has been budgeted for police wages and $220,000 for the public works crew’s wages.

Overall, however, the public works budget for next year was cut by $293,000.

George Guido is a freelance writer.

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