Township Council Taxes

One of Franklin’s own is its newest police officer. Malcolm Belvin was sworn in at the May 11 Township Council meeting.

A Pennsylvania-based architectural firm has been hired to conduct a feasibility study for the proposed Lewis Street Youth Center. The Township Council awarded Kimmel Bogrette Architecture of Conshohocken, Pa. the $25,000 contract at its April 25 meeting.

A plan for a “family friendly” Catalpa Park – slightly different from what was approved last year – is making the rounds before relevant committees before its official public debut. The plan is being shepherded by Township Manager Robert Vornlocker. Earlier this month he took the plan to the Advisory Recreation Council for its input, and on April 18, Vornlocker …

Bonding and capital ordinances appropriating more than $11 million for purchases and capital improvements were introduced by the Township Council at its March 28 meeting. The ordinances will have a public hearing and final vote in April.

The Township Council gave the green light March 7 to a sidewalk program that will affect about 150 property owners around Franklin Middle School. The council met in a special session to consider the project, during which a number of area residents spoke in favor of or against the plan.

The $59.3 million budget introduced Feb. 28 by the Township Council carries something that hasn’t been seen in quite a while: a decrease in the local portion of the property tax rate. The decrease is slight and varies depending upon whether a property has been reassessed in the last year, but it’s a decrease, nonetheless.

Township officials anticipate the 2017 budget will allow them to do a little more with a little less. As in, a little more in services with a little less spending.

The Township Council Feb. 14 introduced ordinances earmarking more than $650,000 to purchase two pieces of property. The ordinances will have a public hearing and final adoption vote at the council’s Feb. 28 meeting.

The Township Council held the first of two scheduled budget hearings on Feb. 13, with a handful of department heads on hand to make the case for their budget requests. The second budget hearing is slated for Feb. 21, and the council is expected to introduce the 2017 budget later in the month.

Update: Ordinances approving the purchase and allocating the money for the purchase were approved on final reading Feb. 14 by the Township Council. Original Story: The township will pay about $14 million to buy the Consolata Missionaries property on Route 27.