5% Tax Increase For 2023 Proposed In Easttown Township

EASTTOWN, PA —Easttown Township supervisors voted 3-2 in favor of approving a $16.5 million preliminary budget, calling for a 5 percent increase in real estate taxes.

The spending plan amounts to a $1.9 million increase in expenses over the 2022 budget.

Easttown is a 8.2-square-miles with a population of 10,648

Supervisors Betsy Fadem, Alex Bosco and Michael Wacey voted in favor of the spending plan. Supervisor Beth D’Antonio, chairwoman and Erik Unger, voted against the approval.

Unger said that he voted against raising taxes because he did not believe a 5 percent tax hike was appropriate for the township, especially with having conducted a revenue analysis beforehand.

David Fiorenza, finance director, the budget increase accounts for global inflation, including the increase in gas prices.

“We haven’t seen inflation like this since the Carter administration in 1979,” he said of the oil embargo which led to high inflation.

The increase amounts to $74.52 in real estate taxes for a home assessed at $500,000, making the total bill for real estate taxes at $2,129.

Fiorenza said the residents will also face an increase of $20 a quarter for trash and an increase in sewer fees, depending on usage of the sewer system.

The budget calls for these increases:

• Berwyn Fire Company: 9 percent of $27,000, bringing the total annual cost to $326,500.
• Paoli Fire Company: 9 percent bringing the total annual cost to $127,000.
• Easttown Library: 9 percent, bringing the total annual cost to $785,000

The final budget will be adopted in December.

Correction: Patch provided an incorrect reason last week for Unger voting against the preliminary budget.