When: Strasburg Township Board of Supervisors meeting, Dec. 2.
What happened: Supervisors approved the final version of the 2025 budget with a tax cut, although the cut was not as high as previously proposed. The budget now anticipates revenue and expenditures at slightly more than $2 million each, with a surplus of $3,339.
Background: Last month, supervisors proposed a 0.3-mill tax cut, taking the rate from 0.555 mills to 0.255 mills, giving the township one of the lowest rates in the county. Supervisors stated at the time that the township earns more in interest income than it gets from the property tax. Most of the township tax revenue comes through the earned income tax.
Why the change: A question from the audience prompted supervisors to reevaluate the change, opting to cut the rate by 0.2 mills instead, to 0.355 mills. Resident Kore Fisher questioned whether the township would need to raise taxes again in the future if the board went through with the 54% cut.
Response: Township Administrator Mark Deimler said the original tax-cut figure was “reverse engineered” from what it would take to arrive at a balanced budget. Each tenth of a mill change for the township would be equal to about $39,800 in revenue, Deimler said.
More: Chair Tom Willig suggested a number a little higher than the 0.255 mills “to give us just a little buffer in case something comes up that we’re not anticipating.”
Historic buildings: Deimler informed the board that resident Isaac Lapp had demolished a house deemed a historic resource in the comprehensive plan without a permit. Lapp plans to apologize to the board at the January meeting. Deimler said “this is a unique situation that can’t be remedied,” unlike most zoning violations that would entail getting a permit or moving a fence or shed. The township will apply a fine, Deimler said.
More: Fisher, a Realtor, questioned whether the board uses age alone to deem a house historic.
Response: Willig agreed that not every structure over 100 years old was worth preserving, although that is the criteria set by the 1995 ordinance. Willig also stated he believed the township’s list was inadequate, with some structures missing from the list and others on the list that did not belong. The township has contracted with the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County to create an updated list, but those efforts have stalled.
Quotable: “We’ve signed a contract with them, and nothing’s been done. So, we’re really frustrated that this is sitting and not moving forward because we want to make it right,” Willig said.
Farmland preservation: Supervisors voted to make a second financial contribution to preserving a township farm. The board voted to authorize the township solicitor to draw up a conservation agreement with the Lancaster Farmland Trust for 58 acres of the John Ebersol farm at 452 Twin Elm Road.
Objections: Fisher objected to the board doing so. He maintains the board is spending taxpayer money for the benefit of a single farmer. Resident Justin Welk, a farmer, also said he felt the spending is unneeded, given the dedication of area farmers to passing on their land to future generations. Resident Todd Weiss spoke in favor of the measure.
Response: The board’s position, as articulated by Willig and Vice Chair Mike Weaver, is that although it cannot contribute enough to preserve a farm, the township contribution enables the Trust to elevate farms to a higher position on its preservation list.
What’s next: The next meeting will be the reorganization meeting at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 6.
