Regarding the letter “Give it back,” by Joseph Matson, published Nov. 26.

At its Dec. 2 meeting, the Butler Township board of commissioners unanimously authorized me to respond, not intending to imply that citizens’ opinions are not respected, but to set the record correctly.

It is a credit to the elected officials and department heads that they adopted a budget that increases funding for paving and related infrastructure without increasing property tax or tapping into the public money derived from the sale of Deshon Woods and is now held in an investment account.

Every well managed municipality maintains a cash balance, including Butler Township, and we have done so for many years.

The writer stated he couldn’t care less if the VA medical center is built at the Deshon site. The Veterans Administration facility is extremely important to the current and future well-being of the township, not only for the potential increase in real property taxes but more importantly, those taxes paid by the VA employees.

For the record, it is the intent of the current board and, hopefully, of future boards, to reinvest the proceeds from the sale of Deshon Woods in a deliberate and controlled manner.

There are many capital projects needed in Butler Township, most related to aging infrastructure. We are always looking to find means to accomplish meeting these goals to better serve the residents — and at times it is challenging.

One of the many benefits to having the money from the sale of the Deshon site is that it will aid in acquiring state and federal matching grants and funds, something the township might not accomplish without a reserve.

The reserve will allow Butler Township the opportunity to acquire more grant funding and ultimately the ability to better serve residents moving forward.