CONNOQUENESSING TWP — Township supervisors had a workshop meeting Thursday, Nov. 30 to discuss the 2024 budget, and they will review a plan expending a little over $1.6 million at their meeting Wednesday evening, which will not require a tax increase.

Supervisor chairman Terry Steinheiser said the only millage increase will be in the fire tax, which the township will propose to raise from 2.5 mills to 3 mills.

The $1.6 million in expenditures is more than supervisors budgeted for 2023 — a cost that came to an estimated $1.03 million in expenditures — but the budget is balanced by expected revenues.

Some of the biggest personnel line-item increases from the 2023 general fund include an additional $8,000 for solicitor fees, bringing the cost to $22,000; an additional $1,500 for a township code enforcement officer, bringing that cost to $3,000; and an additional $1,000 for the earned income tax collector salary.

Supervisors also plan to put $200,000 into highway resurfacing in 2024. Some budgeted road maintenance costs are lower in the new budget, including equipment fuel and supplies.

Additionally, the hiring of an engineer to review the township’s pending public sewage plan costs an estimated $20,000.

While costs rose for some line items, the “actual” costs for several line items drifted above or below budgeted costs, leading the township to adjust costs in the coming year’s budget.

The biggest increases in expected revenues are from state capital and operating grants, through which the township would receive nearly $199,000 in 2024; earned income tax would increase from $550,000 in 2023 to about $620,000 in 2024; and a local service tax would increase from $51,700 to $58,000.

The supervisors will vote to advertise the budget at a meeting Wednesday. A final vote is expected Dec. 27.