Middletown supervisors authorize advertisement of balanced 2023 budget with no tax increase

MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP — Township staff on Nov. 14 presented a proposed 2023 budget the presenter described as balanced and containing no real-estate tax increase, and the Board of Supervisors voted to authorize advertisement of the plan and open a public comment period through Dec. 12.

Misty Kulz, the meeting presenter, said the draft budget “has no tax increase,” and reviewed revenue and expenditure assumptions, including roughly $38.8 million in operating expenditures and just over $9 million in capital spending. Kulz told the board the township received $4,700,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds that are included among the resources available for 2023 allocations.

The presentation said revenue drivers behind the balanced proposal include earned income tax collections, strong real-estate transfer tax receipts tied to local development projects such as the Oxford Valley Mall apartments, and rebounds in other taxes since the pandemic. Kulz highlighted projected costs that are largely fixed, including salaries, benefits and pensions, and noted that employer-paid benefits and pension obligations will drive significant portions of the general fund.

Kulz also outlined several fund- and program-level details: a beginning 2023 fund balance above $59 million, a continued 15‑year road improvement program, $2.9 million proposed for the police pension and approximately $463,000 for the nonuniform pension, and planned participation in municipal insurance pools to stabilize health and workers’-compensation costs. The presentation noted the real-estate tax millage would remain at 17.57 mills in the proposed plan and estimated the average Middletown property owner pays $517 in township real-estate tax.

Board members praised staff for the work on the budget and authorized advertisement so the public can submit input before the board is scheduled to vote on the final budget. The authorization motion carried 5-0.

The public comment period on the proposed budget runs from the meeting date until Dec. 12; the board is scheduled to consider adoption after that period.