JACKSON TWP — Supervisors approved the township’s 2024 budget Thursday, Dec. 21, with no tax increase.

Approved with a surplus of just over $200,000, next year’s budget also included a planned increase of the township’s fire tax.

“The township made a commitment to raise its millage to 3 mills — equal with the other member communities of the Harmony Fire District,” township manager Chris Rearick said. “We’re simply following through with that commitment.”

The tax ordinance approved Thursday raises the millage by .5 mills, matching Harmony Fire District members Lancaster Township, Harmony and Zelienople.

Rearick previously stated the increase would equate to roughly $10 annually for the average resident.

The budget and the tax increase were unanimously approved by supervisors Jay Grinnell, chairman, and Allan Osterwise, vice chairman. Supervisor Marianne Hall was absent.

“I would just like to, as I have in years past, compliment Chris and staff on the preparation of the budget,” Osterwise said. “There’s been a lot of growth in the township — a lot of change.”

Osterwise said the supervisors recently have had to “swing the guns” from fundamental infrastructure improvements to answer growing needs from the community at township “citizen meetings.”

Grinnell said the township has been “ahead of the curve” in answering those needs, already investing in much-needed parks and recreation improvements.

“The parks and the trails and recreation, I think, were probably the biggest things, and we’ve been investing in parks and trails versus previous years,” he said. “Going back to 2011, the first one I was at, it was more about making the roads so it doesn’t look like we’re in the aftermath of a war.”

To that end, a total of $455,000 in capital reserve funds has been allocated to acquire a 40-acre property near the “Swampoodle area” in the township.

“We anticipate closing on the property by the end of January 2024,” Rearick said. “We should be closed on that in a little more than a month.”

Rearick said the township also was looking forward to completing a concession stand at Sippel Reservoir Park, as well as trails and sidewalks near Tollgate Road and new trail connections.

“And we’re most excited about moving forward, hopefully in the spring, with the realignment of ‘Devil’s Elbow’ on the southern part of the Pattison Street extension,” he said.

Supervisors also approved an ordinance for a new stop sign at the intersection in the township to alleviate “safety concerns.”

“We’re looking at additional stop signs at Textor School and Textor Hill Road, based on sight-distance,” Rearick said. “And two points on Fanker Road where there are private drives that serve more than one resident intersecting with the road.”

The additions would include one three-way intersection and one four-way intersection along Fanker Road, according to Rearick.

Additional stop signs will be placed on Yorkshire Way, Spring Valley Drive and Woodsman Ridge Drive, according to the ordinance.

“We’ll get those signs up as soon as possible,” Rearick said. “We’ve ordered them, and they may be up within the next week.”