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The Loyalsock Township Board of Supervisors announced a proposal to eliminate the municipal property tax for the upcoming 2027 budget, down from the current 0.5 mills.
Bill Burdett, township manager, called it a "historic budget" as he presented it at the supervisor meeting.
"This action will help our residents, businesses and particularly our seniors by reducing their property tax burden," Burdett said, reading from a press release. "By proposing to completely eliminate the township millage rate, we aim to keep hard-earned money in the pockets of our community members while maintaining the high quality of municipal services our residents expect."
The elimination of the property tax will be done without cutting any services, he said.
Based on the latest census, the township's population is made up of 42 percent seniors, he said. It will also help small businesses lower their overhead, he said.
"This is very good news for our community," Burdett said.
The proposed tax elimination would only affect the municipal property tax. Residents will still be responsible for school and county taxes, he said.
The proposed budget will be on display in the office of the Township Secretary Sarah Hughes, until the supervisors meet in December to vote on the budget. Burdett said they usually get a few people each year who want to look at the budget, and he typically sits with those people when they review it. During the meeting, comments made about the budget will be discussed.
In other meeting news, the supervisors approved applying for four grants for the upcoming year, each with an application fee of $100.
The first grant is for a new public works building, to house the different equipment the township has been acquiring. The supervisors approved applying for the grant unanimously.
The second grant is for a work projection vehicle, which will sit ahead of the work zone to protect the workers, and possibly eliminate the need for a flagger, Burdett said. Supervisor John C. Bower, Jr., voted no on applying for the grant. Supervisors Michael D. Reed, Virginia M. Eaton, Paul D. Nyman and Richard Trowbridge voted yes.
The third grant is for a wheeled excavator, which the supervisors looked into purchasing a few years ago, but it did not make the budget. The supervisors approved applying for the grant unanimously.
The fourth grant is for the Bruce Henry Park tennis court project, which needs resurfaced, repainted and other work. The supervisors approved applying for the grant unanimously.
During public comment, township resident Michael House brought ice and water in mason jars to showcase compaction under the road because of the numerous issues he has seen and videotaped while watching the work done by the Williamsport Water Authority.
"It's not if this will fail, but it's when," House said. "This is going to be a bigger headache for us long-term."
House had previously emailed his concerns to the supervisors, and provided them with a thumbdrive of more information at the meeting.
Burdett said he had a conference call with the water authority over House's and others' concerns. There will now be two inspectors on the job every day, he said.
The contractor and the water authority are responsible for the work and there is a one-year warranty after completion, Burdett said, but House said that would not be enough.
"This is going to take years to show up," House said.
Resident Deborah Adcock also spoke during public comment about the Commonwealth Charter Academy building remodel, which she said would cause problems for the residents. The sign faces parallel to the street, instead of perpendicular, she said.
"There's already been a small incident where a lady hit a curb and it's not lit," Adcock said. "I'm here tonight to talk about safety issues."
The sign meets zoning laws and Adcock was told the school will dim lights in the evening, she said.
"We're all taxpayers in the township, but the academy is not," Adcock said.