By SARIT LASCHINSKY

Special to The Press

During their Nov. 18 virtual meeting, South Whitehall commissioners received the first reading of the 2021 budget from Finance Manager Scott Boehret.

He noted the township successfully managed to offered no tax increase to residents in the general fund.

Boehret said the real estate millage will remain at 2.84975 mills, and the fire tax millage will stay at 0.47 mills.

The budget includes an anticipated $15,344,402 in total revenue for 2021.

The largest sources of income are from property, earned income and business privilege taxes, which totaled approximately $6.86 million, $3.3 million and $2.15 million respectively.

Additionally, Boehret said the projected $15,975,303 in total expenses with the largest costs associated with administration, police and public works for $6.42 million, $5.71 million and $3.53 million respectively, leaving a deficit of $630,901 in the general fund.

The budget includes an estimated cash carry forward of $3,189,790 in the general fund with $560,500 in cash payments for debt and transfers out of $1,549,218, as well as a budgeted unappropriated reserve of $503,171.

A copy of the preliminary budget is available for public viewing at southwhitehall.com.

The board is expected to adopt the budget this month.

In other matters, Commissioner Matthew Mobilio put forth a motion to establish a COVID-19 relief fund for South Whitehall businesses, making note of the growing number of COVID-19 cases and the associated economic hardship.

“The way things are going, especially without any action from the federal government as far as stimulus, the lack of PPP funds, the lack of further economic grants of that sort, I have no doubt many of our South Whitehall businesses are struggling,” he said.

Mobilio also proposed $150,000, which was previously set aside, and subsequently released, for Wehr’s Dam repairs to fund the program, with additional details to be discussed about establishing business eligibility and distribution amounts.

“I think it would be important for us to show South Whitehall businesses if the federal government’s not going to act, and our state government is not going to act, because we’ve been such good stewards with their tax dollars, we’re in a position to potentially help them,” Mobilio said.

Fellow board members said while they approved of the concept and the idea of setting up a fund, the proposal lacked many details.

Commissioner Joe Setton noted logistics and mechanics needed to be figured out, and questioned how the money would be distributed.

“I think part of it has to do with who gets it; how much they get; why they get it; and is $150,000 an amount that would do any good to anybody if you spread it over 200 people,” Setton said. “Is it going to help them?”

Commissioner Diane Kelly agreed, adding new rounds of state or federal government funding could become available for small businesses,

Kelly also said she was not in favor of using the Wehr’s Dam funding and said the township should look at pulling money from other parts of the budget.

Board President Christina “Tori” Morgan proposed an alternative motion to gather information and investigate how the fund would work given the proposal’s additional momentum.

Commissioner Mike Wolk suggested devising some operational and policy points.

Commissioners authorized Mobilio to work with the township staff and the legal team in an “investigatory capacity” to look into the feasibility of creating a relief fund, and to bring findings back to the board.

In other business, the board was asked by Police Chief Glen Dorney to proceed with adoption of the entire Civil Service Eligibility List for the township’s patrol officer position, which was unanimously approved.

Dorney said the department is down two officers and the list’s approval would allow the hiring process to commence.

A related resolution was also approved to extend conditional employment offers for two candidates for the patrol officer positions, subject to completion of medical and psychological examinations and the background investigation process.

Commissioners also approved the purchase of a new 2021 Police Interceptor Utility Vehicle to replace a vehicle totaled in a crash.

The total cost is $44,071.82.

Dorney said the purchasing funds came from insurance money from previous crashes.

Under old business, engineer Tony Ganguzza, with Boyle Construction, provided an update on the township’s campus renovation plan.

Ganguzza said the project is proceeding ahead of schedule with the public works renovations anticipated to be completed Dec. 9, the police and lower level addition Dec. 15, the administrative portion by Dec. 22 and upper level addition around Jan. 8, 2021.