Dickinson Township proposed budget does not raise taxes, as officials look at capital project fund
After a recent financial assessment, Dickinson Township officials are looking into changes that could be made in next year's budget.
During their meeting Monday, township supervisors are expected to approve a proposed budget for public review with no tax increases. A final budget will likely be adopted next month.
Next year's draft budget includes $2,164,265 in revenue and $2,779,149 in expenditures, with the $614,884 deficit to be covered by reserves. Interim Manager Lucas Martsolf, of Keystone Municipal Solutions , attributes the gap to nearly a million dollars earmarked for capital improvement projects, including a possible road improvement initiative to be discussed throughout the year.
"It's unlikely that all of these earmarked funds will be fully utilized, which is why we're focusing on creating a multiyear capital expenditure plan," he said. "This plan will help us strategically manage and address larger costs over the next five to 10 years."
Based on financial assessment results, Martsolf said the township intends to split capital project money into its own separate fund rather than lumping it in with the general fund dollars as in previous years. With that change, he said next year's general fund budget would have a surplus.
Budget format
While tax rates will likely remain the same, residents may notice changes to the budget's format moving forward.
According Martsolf, Dickinson Township's budget has functioned more like an Excel sheet listing revenues and expenditures in previous years. Next year's draft budget includes more information about those numbers in more of a narrative form.
"We just want to put a little bit more explanation behind those numbers and do a better job tracking and trending where we've been, where we're at, where we're going, but it's really telling our why," Martsolf said.
Capital projects
Along with the creation of a distinct capital projects fund, Martsolf said the township could also form a committee or dedicate time during board meetings to discuss those projects.
While the details are undecided, he said the township plans for two Board of Supervisors meetings per month but often cancels one due to a lack of activity on the agenda.
Officials could potentially hold both meetings, with a focus on capital project discussions during one of those meetings, Martsolf said.
Whether as a designated committee or a full board meeting, the change would allow supervisors to discuss capital projects throughout the year, rather than just during budget season.
"The budget is not something that's just done once a year," Martsolf said. "It's something that you should be doing all year long, and work and collaborate together about how best to strategically use the community's local resources and how to maximize getting external resources to be able to get more things like quality of life projects done for your residents."
Martsolf recommends that all capital project expenditures greater than $5,000 come before the board for discussion, public review and approval.
This would allow for increased communication between township staff and board members in a public setting, especially as numbers change from budgeted figures to actual expenditures throughout the year.
"Whether you talk about local government, state or federal, you can't have enough transparency," Board Chairman Rob Kole said. "That's probably the best thing that we can have as taxpayers, is additional transparency."
Those discussions would allow the board to plan further ahead and position the township to pursue grant money for future projects, he said.
Martsolf said the establishment of a capital improvement plan would make the township more competitive when applying for grants.
He said the budget is a "living" document, to help guide officials throughout the year.
"This is just a start," Martsolf said. "This document is going to get better with time in the coming years, so we'll see what resonates and what doesn't."
Maddie Seiler is a news reporter for The Sentinel and cumberlink.com covering Carlisle and Newville. Love Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.
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