JACKSON TWP — The township supervisors plan to keep the township property tax rate the same for 2015 while greatly increasing its spending for road improvements.

The budget projects $4.15 million in revenue and $4.02 million in expenditures. In 2014, the budget has $3.1 million in expenditures.

The proposed property tax rate for 2015 is 7.875 mills, which means residents there would pay 78.7 cents per every $100 of their assessed property value.

In the budget’s introduction, township manager Chris Rearick writes that township officials are budgeting and planning for growth and increased revenue.

Three new residential developments on Tollgate School Road are under development, which will bring new residents to the township. The township also will experience commercial growth with continued development of Jackson’s Pointe Phase II and the beginning of work on the recently approved FedEx Ground distribution facility.

“The township looks forward to responsibly leveraging increased revenues associatedwith expected moderate growthto provide improved services to our new and existing residents and businesses while maintaining our existing millage or real estate tax rates,” it reads.

Most of the growth in the 2015 budget centers on road improvement projects, Rearick said.

“That’s why the expenditures have increased substantially. It’s a matter of expenditures for capital projects,” Rearick said.

The road projects, which mostly will be bid out to contractors, include paving and improvements on Gristmill Lane and Kaufman, Shaffer, Zehner School, Rock Lake North, Magill and Fanker roads.

The projects are being paid for primarily by a $1.1 million loan that the township expects to pay back over the next five years with money from state impact fees from Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling, he said.

One new expenditure is $138,110 in debt service as the township begins a 10-year repayment for its new municipal building and police headquarters, which was completed in 2014. The township borrowed about $1.2 million for the project, though its total cost was $2.3 million, Rearick said.

Along with its growth, the township is gradually increasing its staff. After cutting the full-time administrative staff from four to two several years ago, one position was restored in 2014.

The police department also plans to hire a new officer in 2015 to be a school resource officer for the Seneca Valley School District’s secondary campus. The district recently got a $56,000 state grant to pay for a second officer to patrol the campus, which means the officer will create minimal expense for the township.

The new officer will bring the number of township employees to 16.

Though it has no other immediate plans to expand the staff, Rearick said township officials might look at restoring a position to the streets department, which had been cut from four to three employees several years ago.

The proposed budget is available on the township’s website, Jackson-township.com, and will be on the agenda for the supervisors’ meeting at 7 p.m. Dec. 18.