Haverford Township Adopts 2014 Budget

Haverford Township has adopted the 2014 budget.  Real estate taxes in Haverford Township will increase by 4.89 percent in 2014.  The millage rate will be raised from 6.992 to 7.334. 

The average homeowner in Haverford Township, based on an average home assessed at $145,000, will pay $50 more in taxes in 2014.

The annual fee for trash service will increase by $9 to $194 per house.  The sewer fee will remain the same as in 2013.  It is $4.50 per 1000 gallons.

In 2014, the township will eliminate four full-time positions.  In the last six years, the township has eliminated 17 full-time positions, including the four in 2014.

“We’ve made some very drastic changes in the township,” said Larry Gentile, township manager.

The operating budget increased from $37,034,108 in 2013 to $38,919,908 in 2014.  This is an increase of $1,885,800.

Much of this increase is from certain cost drivers, Gentile said.  These drivers include employee wages, medical benefits, township insurance and township debt.  The township’s healthcare insurance went up 10 percent this year, Gentile said.  This cost the township $600,000 more than it did in 2013.

The township has undergone efforts to reduce costs, Gentile said.  These include consolidating services, such as the leaf program, with Marple Township and using brining instead of salting in the winter.  The changes in salting have reduced the salt budget by 30 percent.  There is also less of a need for overtime pay since the roads can be pretreated through brining.  The township also increased how much employees contribute to their pension and healthcare.  New hires in the township will not be a part of the township pension program.

Gentile noted that only 17 percent of each home’s taxes go to the township, while 69 percent goes to the school district and 14 percent to the county.

The average home in Haverford will pay more in phone, internet and cable than it will in township taxes, Gentile said.