Neshaminy board may give tax rebates to first responders

Neshaminy School District officials are close to approving a program that would give property tax rebates to volunteer first responders in the district.

The program was discussed at the March 29 Business Operations Committee meeting and will likely be considered by the full school board at the April 25 meeting, board President Tina Hollenbach said.

If approved, the measure would provide what’s now planned as an $800 property tax rebate to all volunteer firefighters, fire police and emergency medical services personnel who apply for the program and who have responded to at least 25 percent of calls after one year of membership in their volunteer agencies. They would receive the first rebates in early 2024, estimated board members who attended the March 29 meeting.

The program is a way for the district to show its appreciation for volunteers who put their lives on the line for the district and the municipalities within it, and also as another incentive to attract and retain volunteers, board members added.

In a general discussion at the March 29 meeting about the 2023-24 school district budget that must be approved by July 1, Hollenbach said “I do not believe we should be raising taxes this year.”

The school board several weeks ago approved a resolution pledging not to exceed the maximum 4.1 percent property tax increase set by the state’s Act 1 Index for 2023-24. That means the board has latitude to raise taxes anywhere from 0 to 4.1 percent.

While Hollenbach expressed her preference for holding the line, Business Administrator Donald Irwin responded that no hike could lead to the district facing a budget deficit of somewhere around $6 million or $7 million heading into the 2024-25 school year.

“I understand the sentiment to not raise taxes, but I’m afraid your choices would end up being somewhere between bad and horrible if you do not raise taxes this year,” Irwin said.

Current total property tax millage in Neshaminy is 171.23, or $4,786 in annual taxes for a resident with a property assessed at the district average of $27,948.

Irwin reported at the March 29 meeting that the projected budget deficit — the difference between estimated revenue and expenses — for next school year has been reduced from more than $6 million down to about $3.4 million.

While saying that she does not favor cutting any programs, Hollenbach stated one of the next steps in attempting to further whittle down the budget deficit is to go back to every department to make sure their spending requests for 2023-24 are realistic.

“I believe there are departments that could be running more efficiently,” she said.

“I want to know that all departments are lean, that they are running efficiently, no waste,” added school board member Cyndie Bowman.

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