FRANKLIN TWP — The township's 2019 budget includes money for expanding its garage.

Herman Bauer, chairman of the township's board of supervisors, said the garage expansion will double the building's size at a cost of about $150,000. He said the garage's current size has caused problems for the road crews.

“The garage was built about 40 years ago,” Bauer said. “We're kind of tight on space.”

Bauer said the road crew is vital to the township, and the council wanted to support its employees.

“It'll make things more accessible and easier to work with,” he said. “We have an excellent road crew, we want to provide them with what they need to do the job.”

The township has enough money in its general fund account to pay for the project. Entering 2019, the township has $416,552 in the account, according to the proposed budget.

The budget reflects the garage project with an expected deficit of about $157,270 for 2019, according to Bauer.

“That's the biggest increase that you'd see there,” he said.

The township's budget shows an expected income of $608,816 and expected expenses at $766,086, but even after covering the costs of extra expenses, the township would still have $259,282 in its general fund.

Bauer said the deficit is nothing more than a special project, and the township should return to its normally balanced budget in the future. He said the township has consistently used money in the general budget when a need appeared.

“It's a special expense that we need to make,” Bauer said. “Over the period of years since I've been on the board, that general fund cash balance has grown throughout years, and in that intervening time, we've had some major road projects.”

Bauer said the township also has a capital reserve fund that could be used for a project like the garage. After the 2019 contribution of about $20,000, the capital reserve fund should have a balance of $175,126, according to the budget.

Bauer said the township has consistently saved money over the years and has not raised taxes. He said that plan continues.

“We haven't had a tax increase since I came on the board in 2008,” Bauer said. “When I came on the board in 2008, we cut real estate taxes that year.”

Bauer said the garage project is expected to be finished by the end of 2019.

The final budget is set to be adopted at the 7 p.m. Dec. 17 meeting.