Budget talks have wrapped up for Heidelberg Township after crunching numbers at several advertised budget meetings and at the Nov. 17 board of supervisors’ meeting.

The proposed 2017 budget was accepted for public advertisement.

The board opened the meeting by approving the minutes of the Oct. 20 budget workshop and the Nov. 3 special meeting.

The budget will include a fire tax millage increase from 0.4 to 0.45 and a township tax millage increase from 0.60 to 0.90 based on $269,755,802 taxable assessed value as of Oct. 10 per Lehigh County.

The following adjustments were made to the general fund line items to reflect the increase and balance the budget: fire company reimbursement new line item at $16,000, miscellaneous revenue decrease $10,000 to $1,000, repayment of loans increase $44,000 to $70,000 due to truck purchase, contingency kept at $50,000 for cash balance carryover.

Real estate taxes current, transfer from fire tax fund, real estate commission and real estate tax employee withholding will increase due to tax increase.

The board agreed to hold the employee health insurance premium contribution at 5 percent, the same as last year.

In the monthly reports, representatives from both the fire department and ambulance expressed concerns over the decreasing amount of volunteers.

Goodwill Fire Company Chief Jay Scheffler had previously addressed the board at a special meeting Nov. 3.

He noted the government mandates the type of training and equipment the fire companies must have as well as regulations on replacement and certification.

The cost of equipment keeps going up and it is getting harder to find volunteers to help with fundraisers and hall rentals.

Also on the agenda was the final approval of the Northwestern Lehigh School District land development proposal.

At the October board of supervisors meeting, an overview of the plans was presented which involve flipping the office to the front of the building and adding a small addition on the front.

There will also be increased classroom space added.

The project also addresses several safety issues within the school.

As the result of a prior suggestion made by Supervisor Steve Bachman, representatives from the district will be painting right and left turning lanes on the driveway along Northwestern Road after completion of the renovations.