The Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners heard presentations from Eastern Salisbury Volunteer Fire Company and Western Salisbury Volunteer Fire Company as the consideration of the township 2021 budget continues.

Commissioners would like to vote on the budget in December.

At the Oct. 22 township commissioners’ workshop, Salisbury Township Director of Finance Paul Ziegenfus lauded fire company officials for achieving efficiencies in operations to keep budget request increases as minimal as possible.

Ziegenfus reiterated he foresees no township municipal tax increase.

In an Oct. 21 email to The Press, Ziegenfus stated, regarding the proposed 2021 township budget, “We have modest increases in expenditures and no tax increase.

“We really sharpened our pencils and tried to cut back wherever we could. I felt like all departments did a great job of maximizing what they have and delayed on some expenditures for future years.”

In a preview of the 2021 Salisbury Township budget Ziegenfus provided in an Oct. 21 email at the request of The Press, the proposed 2021 township budget categories are compared to 2020 township budget categories:

Administration

2021 budget $1,341,316

2020 budget $1,294,256

An increase of $47,060, or 3.6 percent

Police

2021 budget $3,357,523

2020 budget $3,338,486

An increase of $19,037, or 0.6 percent

Public Works

2021 budget $2,707,636

2020 budget $2,667,126

An increase of $40,510, or 1.5 percent increase

During the township fire departments presentation at the Oct. 22 workshop, Ziegenfus said, after he met with leaders of the two Salisbury fire departments, “We are continuing the idea they gave us of coming up with a stipend amount.

“We decided to, instead of them billing us, we are giving an amount divided over four quarters,” Ziegenfus said.

“This is a much more productive way to fund the fire departments, by giving them a stipend,” Salisbury Township Manager Cathy Bonaskiewich said.

The 2021 budget for Eastern Salisbury is expected to be about $103,800, which includes amounts for equipment, tools and insurance.

The 2021 budget for Western Salisbury is expected to be about $101,600, which includes amounts for equipment, tools and insurance.

Shared training is planned for the departments’ firefighters.

Salisbury Township Director of Fire Services Dustin Grow attended the workshop presentation.

Other township fire officials attended via the Zoom meeting format.

“We’re working well together,” Western Salisbury Fire Chief Joshua Wells said, speaking via Zoom. “It’s all going in the right direction.”

The fire departments’ officials reviewed fire apparatus needs. “Both have been flexible in looking at the next 25 years,” Ziegenfus said, adding, “We’re all in agreement of the plan we have in place.

“We need to figure out how much we need to set aside [for fire engine purchases],” Ziegenfus said. He estimates an amount could be set aside annually toward the purchase of firefighting equipment.

“We have money in the fire fund. We don’t need to have to increase taxes for that,” Ziegenfus said. “Little by little, we’ll get to where we need to be.”

In an Oct. 19 email to The Press, Ziegenfus confirmed he and township officials plan no tax increase in the 2021 budget “since the impact of COVID-19 has been hard on many residents.

“We are budgeting a small deficit for the general fund to be covered by previous years’ fund reserves,” Ziegenfus said.

The township tax millage is 2.42 mills.

There is no proposed increase to water or sewer rates. For residents who are billed for water usage, the rate will stay the same: $7 per 1,000 gallons of water used. Sewer rates will remain at $75 per quarter.

The township administration is putting its trash collection contract out for bid. The contract with Republic Services concluded. The township is contracted on a month-to-month basis with Republic with the ability to end the contract at any time.

“With an increase in recycling costs, we have to increase trash collection rates for 2021,” Ziegenfus said.

The draft budget proposes a trash rate of $75 per quarter per unit, an increase from $68 per quarter per unit, or $7 per quarter, which is an increase of $28 per year. The increase is $2.33 per month.

Township police department and public works department budgets are expected to be discussed at the next township commissioners’ meeting, 7 p.m. Nov. 12 in the municipal building, 2900 S. Pike Ave. The meeting is open to the public via the Zoom format. Preregistration is required.

The first public reading of the 2021 proposed township budget is expected at the Nov. 12 meeting.

In November, because of the Thanksgiving Day holiday, Nov. 26, which would have been the second monthly township meeting, commissioners will meet 7 p.m. Nov. 24 in the municipal building.

Commissioners plan to adopt the 2021 budget at the 7 p.m. Dec. 10 meeting. If not, another township meeting will be scheduled, but not on Christmas Day, Dec. 24, which would have been the date for December’s second township meeting.

Ziegenfus previewed the 2021 township budget at the Oct. 8 commissioners’ meeting workshop. The meeting marked the first time in nearly seven months township commissioners met in the township municipal building because of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.