JACKSON TWP — Township supervisors held a special meeting on Wednesday in which early talks on putting together the budget for 2027 kicked off.

Discussion about ongoing parks and recreation improvements was at the center of the meeting. Wednesday’s conversation will help Chris Rearick, township manager, navigate his way toward drafting a formal budget, he said.

The township aims to have a budget draft prepared by the end of October or early November, ahead of the deadline to adopt at the end of the year, Rearick said.

The township is in the final stages of securing grant funding for park projects in the works, with reimbursements expected to be paid soon, Rearick said.

Construction of the planned community center at Sippel Reservoir Park, which is a key consideration in the township’s budgeting, is progressing. Rearick said dirt settling, which has expanded recently, has led to some caution.

“The concern is that if a settlement exceeds a certain rate, there could be risk — not catastrophic risk — to the structure cracking and so forth,” he said.

Geotechnical tracking will continue and construction will proceed based on observations, he said.

The requirements of a $224,000 Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources grant for the project are flexible enough to accommodate small changes in the timeline, Rearick said.

The township is also finalizing a broader open space parks and recreation master plan.

Rearick said the township is in the homestretch of completing a comprehensive plan in 2027, meant to address road quality in Jackson.

“We're at a point now where, by and large, our road network is comprised of roads that have been rebuilt in some fashion,” he said.

The next step would be toward an “overlay program” early next year to collect data on which roads need repavement and prioritizing accordingly.

Rearick said he expects $800,000 to $900,000 to be in Jackson Township’s unassigned fund balance going into next year.

“In terms of the general finances, we’ll probably end up where we expect it (and) where we want to be,” Rearick said.

A higher-than-anticipated transfer tax revenue was a highlight for the year, said Rearick, creating opportunities in building the budget.

Township staff is working on creating a five- to seven-year projection of population and revenue in the township.

Supervisors also unanimously voted to appoint Ed Spurk as new public works director.

Spurk was previously the roadmaster and code enforcement officer for Lancaster Township.

The role opened up after Jason Knox stepped down to accept another position, Rearick said.