Adams Township residents can rest assured their local tax rate will remain intact for at least one more year.

At a special meeting Monday, Dec. 1, the township’s board of supervisors voted to advertise a draft budget which will keep the municipal tax rate at 3.75 mills, as it has been since 1994. The budget is expected to be approved and finalized at another special meeting Monday, Dec. 15.

“I wouldn’t say any sacrifices had to be made,” township manager Mike Tylka said. “As our chairman Russ Ford mentioned on Dec. 1, it's just sound financial long-term planning.”

Unlike other Butler County municipalities such as Saxonburg and Jefferson Township, Adams Township does not plan to add a half-mill EMS tax which would exclusively support its emergency medical services partners.

But Tylka said the township plans to increase its yearly contribution to Quality EMS from $125,000 to $150,000. The yearly contribution to both of the township’s fire departments — Adams Area Fire District and Callery Volunteer Fire Company — will remain the same as it was in 2025, which itself was increased from 2024.

A basic summary of the draft budget has been posted to the township’s website. The township is expecting a $1,000 surplus in its general fund for 2026, with $9,960,125 in total projected revenue against $9,959,125 in projected expenses.

Nearly the entirety of the projected revenue — $8,114,000 — is expected to come from taxes.

Of the $9,959,125 in projected expenses, $3,933,137 is earmarked for “public safety,” $2,266,386 for “general government” and $1,667,250 for public works.

“The police department is our major expenditure,” Tylka said. “And public safety overwhelmingly so, when you add in our fire and ambulance contributions as well.”

In addition, two staff members recently added to the township’s public works department factored into next year’s spending plan.