2023 BUDGET BASICS FOR HAMPDEN TOWNSHIP
Q: What are the key highlights for the 2023 budget?
A: The 2023 municipal budget for Hampden Township was prepared with the input and scrutiny of the Township Manager, Finance Director and all Department Heads along with essential input, guidance and approval by the Board of Commissioners.
2023 marks the 46th consecutive year without an increase in the Real Estate Tax rate for Hampden Township. The 2023 General Fund budget allows for the continuation of essential Police, Volunteer Fire (the Township provides financial support to the all-volunteer fire company however the Hampden Township Volunteer Fire Company also has their own budgetary requirements and needs apart from the Township), EMS and Public Works services along with offsetting the operating costs of other necessary Departments to include Administration, Community Development, Finance and Recreation.
Sanitary Sewer and Stormwater Management Fees will also not be increased in 2023 which reflects a multi-year effort to maintain and improve those facilities without the need to raise utility fees of property owners.
Q: What are the key changes for the 2023 budget?
A: The Hampden Township Board of Commissioners awarded a new five-year residential solidwaste and recycling contract to Waste Management, the lowest bidder. The current three-year residential solidwaste and recycling contract is set to expire on December 31, 2022. The new contract was competitively bid with four waste haulers expressing interest in the Township’s contract. The low bid was submitted by Waste Management, the current solidwaste and recycling hauler.
The new quarterly service rate will be $98.94. The next lowest bid from a hauler was $137.55 per quarter, substantially more than what was bid by and awarded to Waste Management.
Q: What are some of the most noteworthy projects planned in the 2023 budget?
A: The budget will permit the Township to further pursue design, and phased development, of a new 18-acre park along Smith Drive which comes as a result of extensive public outreach to the Township residents to obtain input on the needs of the community.
Efforts to develop a clear plan for design and maintenance, along with phased improvements to Hampden Pool will also continue in 2023.
Hampden will continue its program of extensive maintenance and resurfacing of the Township-owned street network which averages between $2 to $3 million dollars’ worth of investment each year to ensure that 120 miles of streets are in good condition.
Finally, with direct input from the Hampden Township Volunteer Fire Company, the Township will pay for the replacement of an essential piece of fire apparatus at a cost of approximately $1 million dollars.
Q: What does the budget process look like and when does that process start?
A: The Township Commissioners and staff are constantly monitoring and managing the annual budget. Essentially, those efforts commence the first day of each year and continue throughout the year. Revenues and expenditures are regularly monitored to ensure that they are trending along with the approved budget.
An independent audit of the budget is performed each year. In fact, Hampden Commissioners further pursues independent review and evaluation by having a review from the national Governmental Accounting Standards Board. That review ends with Hampden being issued an award in recognition of their financial internal control practices and standards.
In July, staff begins the process of preliminary budget development for the following year. This process includes the review and projection of end of year revenue and expenditures, as well as, the development of overall estimated revenue expectations and expenditure needs and priorities for the following budget year.
The budget process culminates with draft and final review and approval by the Board of Commissioners in public meetings. In the end, the entire 2023 operating and capital improvement budget reflects necessary expenditures and realistic estimates for revenue. With this budget, Township Commissioners will be able to meet the needs of the residents and property owners, maximize the variety of services available to them and expand upon the offerings that the Township provides and maintains.