2020 Proposed Budget
Mount Joy Township has proposed its 2020 annual budget, which is currently available for inspection and comment. At the core of the 2020 budget are the fundamental responsibilities of local government: infrastructure and public safety. In order to maintain a proper level of service to meet these obligations, an increase in the Fire Protection Tax Fund and the General Fund real estate taxes is proposed.
Fire Protection Tax Fund: An increase from 0.4 mills to 0.7 mills is needed to provide a more equitable contribution to the four volunteer fire departments that serve our community. Mount Joy Township relies on the volunteers of Elizabethtown Friendship Fire & Hose Co., Fire Department of Mount Joy, Mastersonville Fire Co., and Rheems Fire Co. to provide this important service. Most of this additional revenue will go towards the capital reserve contribution that helps to pay for expensive apparatus and facilities used by the emergency service providers.
General Fund: An increase from 1.84 mills to 2.04 mills will account for the rising costs of public safety and infrastructure repairs. Local police and EMS funding is budgeted to rise by $80,000, while bridge replacement and repairs are expected to cost approximately $400,000 next year. The additional revenue from this 0.2-mill increase will enable us to meet these obligations without compromising on the implementation of our Road Improvement Plan.
The Township Board of Supervisors and Township Administration do not take the impacts of a tax increase lightly. The Fire Protection Tax would rise by 75% and the General Fund tax would rise by 10.9%; an aggregate increase of 22.3%. This 0.5-mill total increase in municipal real estate tax will burden the owner of property assessed at $200,000 by $100 in 2020 for a total municipal tax bill of $548.
Please take the time to review the proposed 2020 budget and direct any questions or feedback to Township Manager Justin Evans at justin@mtjoytwp.org or 717-367-8917.