Township officials review first quarter numbers
By P.J. D’Annunzio, Staff Writer Kennetttimes.com
KENNETT — During the township Board of Supervisors meeting for the month of May, the township’s treasurer, Lisa Moore, delivered a quarterly financial report — not to be confused with the full 2011 audit expected to be presented during the June meeting — to residents and officials gathered at the township building.
Moore began by detailing the current standing of revenue garnered from real estate taxes from January to April of this year.
“Right now, the township has received half of its budget for the real estate tax,” she said. “We’ll get the remainder usually in May. That budget is $308,000. We received $442,000 for Earned Income Tax. $76,000 is made up of real estate transfer taxes…and another $10,000 is made of prior real estate taxes.”
Of the $835,947 of revenue currently in the general fund, $671,537 was acquired by the township’s Earned Income Tax. The remaining funds were acquired through a variety of channels from permits to service fees to communications companies.
“The township receives $130,000 a year approximately from Verizon and Comcast. They pay us quarterly fees for the ability to run service in out township…the $37,316 for service fees include liquor licenses. We receive $200 a year for every liquor license in the township and we have six of them. The rest includes subdivision fees, reimbursements for engineering fees for developments, $5,000 for zoning fees, and more for zoning books and street lights.”
The expenditures listed under the general fund comprise many different sectors, however, the largest concentrations of money spent can be found in the categories emergency services, office expenses, and sewer capital.
“Fire and emergency eervices include $326,600. That includes payment for our fire marshal—he inspects all of our plans, he goes out to inspect properties when they’re burning illegally—and it includes fire company contributions and fire company capital equipment that we pay. (The) office, which is $110,035 includes salaries, computer repairs, treasurer bonds, service agreements, and miscellaneous expenses,” Moore said.
The largest area of expense, sewer capital, encompasses several labor-intensive projects, lending to its high amount of operational expenditures.
“The sewer expenses are $341,857,” Moore said. “That includes the new pump station on Creek Road; it includes Ashford capital costs, the sewer extension completion along Baltimore Pike near the VFW…The township is going to extend the sewer from the new pump station on Creek Road almost to MacFarlan Road and on North Union Street it ends right on Schoolhouse Lane and they’re going to extend it to Five Points to address all the failing systems.”
Of the total $153,999 of sewer fund expenditures, $84,569 was directed toward the VFW pump station operation and another $62,402 was spent on industrial sewer fees.
Moore stressed at the end of the presentation that the quarter revenues, while seemingly presenting a deficit, do not currently represent the trend for the annual revenue report as the only the first quarter has been concluded.
During the June 2012 supervisors meeting, a presentation of the 2011 (and later controversial 2009-2010 audits) will be given to help residents further understand the financial state and past workings of the township, Moore said.
