Adams Township’s proposed 2024 budget is balanced at just over $12.5 million, with no tax increase.

“We’re fortunate that there’s no tax increase,” township manager Gary Peaco said. “I think it’s probably been close to 30 years since we’ve had a tax increase.”

Revenues and expenditures for the township total $12,561,700 this year, a notable increase over years prior.

“In the last couple of years it’s been between $8 million and $9 million,” Peaco said. “It’s a little inflated this year because we’re expecting additional funding from PennDOT.”

The township recently received more than $2.5 million from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to complete its ongoing Three Degree Road reconstruction project.

“We finished phase one and phase two, but because of the materials and labor issues that we’ve been having the last couple of years, we were drastically short on funding for phase two,” Peaco said.

Inflated costs following the pandemic left the project’s third and final phase in jeopardy, according to Peaco, forcing them to act on an prior agreement with PennDOT to request additional funds.

“We understand it’s been approved,” he said. “We just have not received the money yet.”

Peaco said the township would be updating its fee schedule with “minimal” increases related to rising costs.

“The fee schedule constitutes a number of things: whether it be a simple lien letter or development applications, building permit fees,” he said. “There’s a lot of things that go into that.”

Public safety represented to borough’s highest expense, totaling just under $3.8 million, followed closely by just over $3.6 million in “culture and recreation.”

“We’re looking at potentially adding a new basketball court and a new pickleball court,” Peaco said, “and a parking lot behind the T-ball fields.”

An additional $300,000 has been set aside for HVAC upgrades at the municipal building, according to Peaco, as well as $500,000 for general building, sidewalk and parking lot improvements.

“There’s also $1 million split between saving for a public works building — at $500,000 — and Route 228,” Peaco said.

The $500,000 allocated to Route 228 is part of a prior agreement between the township, the county and PennDOT, according to Peaco, dedicating $2 million toward the department’s ongoing improvement project along the highway.

“So we had to pay $1 million this year and then $500,000 in 2024 and $500,000 in 2025,” he said.

Peaco said the township recently completed a workshop session for the 2024 budget, with the formal adoption planned for next week.

“Our actual budget adoption is next Thursday, Dec. 21, at 11 a.m.,” he said.