Limerick Township Board Passes 2012 Budget

The Limerick Board of Supervisors passed the 2012 township budget by a vote of 3-2 at Tuesday night's final board meeting of the year.

Board chairman Thomas Neafcy and supervisor Kenneth Sperring voted "no" on the budget, while Supervisors Joseph St. Pedro, Kara Shuler and Elaine DeWan voted "yes".

Resolutions raising the millage rate and the sewer rate also passed 3-2 with Sperring and Neafcy voting "no."

, the increase will raise the millage rate about 20-percent, from 1.213 to 1.516 mills. On a home assessed at the township's median value of $145,000, that rate will increase from about $176 per year to $220 per year.

Neafcy said after the meeting that he voted against the resolutions because he opposes the tax increase.

"In these financial times, it only hurts the residents [to raise taxes]," Neafcy said.

Township manager Dan Kerr announced during the meeting that the municipality has recently been awarded two grants.

The first, a $25,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, is a grant that will pay for the greenway and master trail plan work in Limerick Township.

The master trail plan involves the township's section of the Schuylkill River Trail.

The second grant, from the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation, is a $30,000 grant that will allow the township to buy more playground equipment and finish work on resurfacing areas of the Manderach Playground at Limerick Community Park.

The township will be providing $20,000 in matching funds for a total of $50,000 to be spent on the playground.

The board also heard information from the Spring Ford Youth Athletic League regarding a long-term lease of three of Limerick Community Park's ballfields.

The league will be presenting formal plans to the board sometime after the New Year, and is suggesting they sign an at least three year lease for the fields.

Kerr said that the league is willing to make a large capital investment in the fields to improve them. They would also take over all maintenance, including mowing and topsoil replacement.

"It would save the township about $8,000 a year in maintenance costs," Kerr said.