Chester Twp Raises Taxes $20 Per Quarter

One day after announcing his intent to run for re-election in 2014, Chester Township Mayor Bill Cogger and the council passed the 2013 budget.

The public hearing on the budget, in which no residents were present to offer comment, was swift and the budget passed unanimously.

"There is a lot of press this time of year about budgets," Cogger said. "So I want to get some information out there. In 2008 our budget was roughly $13.5 million. This year it was $12.6 million. That is a million dolllars down since 2008."

According to Cogger, if the average home in Chester is valued at $655,000 it would translate to about "twenty bucks per quarter."

Cogger also said in 2006 the township owed $24 million and today the total debt is $11.7 million.

"And we're going to pay down another $1.5 million this year," Cogger said.

A budget introduced by the Chester Township Council Tuesday would set the tax rate at 50.2 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, up from 2012's 48.92 cents.

The budget would raise the tax levy—the total amount of tax dollars raised by the municipality—by 2 percent. The levy would grow from 2012’s $8,964,655 to $9,143,311.

Under state law, governmental bodies usually can grow their tax levies—the total amount of tax dollars they collect—by no more than 2 percent. But the law also lets a municipality take certain spending out of that calculation—such as for pension and health care costs, debt service payments and states of emergency.

Council President Kevin Powell and council member Matt Kass praised Kevin Lifer, the Chief Financial Officer Chester has been sharing with Washington Township.

"It isn't easy to work on two budgets and we appreciate the work," Powell said.

Lifer said that the staff in Chester made the job easy.

"I think the finance department is in great shape," Cogger said. 

The proposed 2013 budget is totaled at $12,611,625.73, up from 2012’s $12,462,267.83.