East Manchester board weighs eliminating township per-capita tax; decision timeline set

East Manchester Township board members spent a significant portion of the July 16 meeting reviewing research on the township’s per-capita tax and discussing whether to eliminate the township’s portion.

Committee member (S1) presented the findings: several neighboring municipalities have eliminated the per-capita tax and “the only two left are East Manchester Township and Manchester Borough who still collect it,” she said. Committee member (S1) estimated the township’s net per-capita revenue at “about $26,000” after materials and delinquents.

Board members discussed the trade-offs. Committee member (S2) described $26,000 as a small amount relative to the township’s roughly $5 million budget but said removing the tax could be the right choice for residents. The board noted an important dependency: if the township eliminates its portion, the school district could opt to collect the full $10 per capita; the township could later reinstate its portion if needed.

Timeline and next steps were made explicit: Committee member (S1) said a board decision would need to be made by October so the township could advertise for a November board meeting and report any change to the county by Dec. 1. Chair (S3) and other members agreed to have a resolution ready for consideration in that schedule; S1 volunteered to prepare the paperwork.

What’s next: staff will prepare a draft resolution and supporting materials ahead of the Oct. 20 finance review so the board can vote or place the item on the November meeting agenda if advertising is required.