Frazer supervisors approve first property tax increase in at least 25 years

Property owners in Frazer are going to see their township real estate taxes go up by 76% next year.

It’s the township’s first property tax hike in at least 25 years, officials said.

Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously passed a $1.3 million budget for 2021 that includes a 1.08-mill increase. The tax rate will go up to 2.5 mills.

Supervisors attributed the tax increase to an anticipated decrease in revenues in 2020 and rising expenditures.

The tax increase could generate an additional $133,000 next year for the township.

“The price of everything is going up,” supervisors Chairman Matthew Beacom said. “Wages are going up, salt’s going up, expenses are going up, insurance is going up. Everything is going up.”

The township will continue to offer a $40,000 Homestead Exemption for residents.

Someone with the homestead exemption who has a home valued at $118,700 would pay taxes on $78,700 of that value. The new tax rate increases their bill by $85. They will go from paying $112 a year to $197 a year.

The total overall spending plan is roughly the same amount as this year.

Close to half the spending — $600,844 — is going toward public safety costs. That’s about an 11% decrease from this year, in which $677,600 was budgeted.

The township budgeted close to $50,000 for a new police vehicle and equipment for the vehicle this year. It won’t be doing that next year.

Only one police officer will receive a raise next year — Sgt. Aaron Scott. He will make about $48,300, a 3% pay increase from his salary of just over $46,900 this year. Police Chief Terry Kuhns’ salary will remain the same at about $69,400.

Part-time officers’ combined salaries will decrease about 6% from about $290,800 this year to about $273,000 next year.

Scott and Kuhns are the only full-time officers. The rest are part-timers.

Public works expenses for sanitation and roadway maintenance also will decrease. This year, about $250,000 was budgeted for roadway maintenance. Next year, $112,000 is budgeted. That’s more than a 50% decrease.

No one from the public attended Tuesday’s meeting. The supervisors weren’t surprised.

“We haven’t raised anything in so many years,” Beacom said. “We’re low even at that mark.”

“We’ve had no complaints,” Ziencik added.

“I haven’t really even had anybody ask me anything about it,” Beacom said.