Nov 27, 2020 2 min read

South Strabane supervisors unanimously approved a preliminary $7 million 2021 budget Tuesday night.

The board approved the balanced budget at $6,997,737 anticipated revenue, plus an anticipated Liquid Fuels Fund of $579,250, according to a budget document prepared by township Manager Brandon Stanick. The budget does not include a tax increase.

The anticipated expenses increased from last year by about 7.58%, according to Stanick, due to personnel services like wages, medical benefits and pension funds. He said the township will begin contract negotiations with the fire department as well as with public works employees next year.

Stanick said the township also expects some retirements and personnel changes in the fire department. And the police department is expecting a new “four-legged” employee next year, Stanick said, as they are preparing to train and put into service a new K9 unit.

The township is also preparing for some capital expenses, Stanick said, including renovations to the municipal building, the restrooms project at Community Park, a new playground at Billy Bell Park and the Manifold Road stream bank restoration project.

A new fund in the 2021 budget is the Parks and Recreation Fund, which will be used for park improvements and programming. The Capital Improvement Fund is also new and used for the purchase of land, buildings, machinery and equipment. It was set up for this year but, due to the pandemic “was not formally established until mid-summer,” Stanick wrote in the budget document.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Stanick thanked the supervisors, department heads and the township staff “in the development of this budget and working through it in the last couple of months.”

The preliminary budget is expected to adopted by the supervisors next month. It can be viewed on the township’s website.