Newtown Township To Decide On Proposed Tax Increase

NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — The Newtown Township Board of Supervisors is expected to adopt a preliminary budget at its meeting Wednesday night.

The 2021 spending plan is expected to raise property taxes in the township, but it's unclear by how much. Like other municipalities bogged down by the coronavirus pandemic, Newtown Township is struggling to make up for revenue shortfalls in a down economic year.

In September, the township released a financial management plan that recommended a 7.5 mill increase in municipal real estate taxes. In layman's terms, that amounts to a 178 percent increase in property taxes. Since then, that number has been talked down to 133 percent, which would amount to about $193 more per year in property taxes for the average homeowner, according to Supervisor John Mack.

Hundreds of local residents are finding either of those numbers hard to stomach: an online petition calling on the township to reconsider the tax hole has garnered 266 signatures as of Tuesday afternoon.

"Many have lost jobs, businesses and are financially struggling. You may think it may only be a few hundred dollars but that is significant to some households at this time," the petition reads. "There has to be an alternative to tax increasing your citizens at this difficult time."

The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 25, at 7 p.m. Meetings are held in person at the Newtown Township Public Meeting Room located at 100 Municipal Drive, but public attendance is limited, so arrive early if you plan on attending or signing up for public comment.

If a budget is approved Wednesday night, the public will have 20 days to submit comments. The deadline for the township to adopt a spending plan is Dec. 31, 2020.

How to Calculate Your Yearly Newtown Township Property Tax