BETHLEHEM TWP., Pa. — Bethlehem Township commissioners at 7 p.m. Monday will weigh whether to adopt the proposed spending plan for 2025.
To keep from dipping into cash reserves for new firetrucks at the township’s two volunteer fire companies, the budget on the table is outlined to triple fire services revenue with an increase in the associated millage rate from 0.15 of a mill to 0.45 of a mill.
“This would result in a tax increase of approximately $30 per year for the owners of a property valued at $200,000 (and assessed for tax purposes at $100,000),” Township Manager Doug Bruce wrote in a press release Friday.
However, as of now, the township looks to hold the line on property taxes at 7.59 mills under the new-year budget. Back in October, officials also predicted holding steady on the fire tax rate.
Remaining at the current rate of 0.15 of a mill, the new year’s fire services fund would be projected to bring in $143,000 and move associated holdings to less than $700,000, Bruce said.
Worth the wait
The purchasing process behind new firetrucks — which often comes with yearslong wait times prior to delivery — has become convoluted for departments in many places, as manufacturers have a hard time keeping up with increased costs and market demand.
In the case of both Bethlehem Township and Nancy Run volunteer fire companies, Bruce said, three firetrucks were in line for replacement between 2023 and 2028. But over the last two years, the condition of the trucks and lengthy delivery windows for new ones have led officials to narrow that timeline.
Facing 1,000-day waits, the departments' trucks on deck include:
- One for NRFC bought in 2023, with the 50% down payment ($591,496) coming from the fire services fund
- Another for NRFC bought in early 2024, with the 50% down payment ($611,931) being drawn from the township general fund due to insufficient fire services money
- One for BTFC is scheduled for purchase in February 2025, with the estimated $600,000 down payment planned to come from fire tax funds (Following that purchase, and at the current millage of 0.15, the fire services fund would have a balance of just under $100,000)
- Second payments on each apparatus, estimated to be around $1.8 million, will be due in 2026-2028
Commissioners meet at the Bethlehem Township Municipal Building, 4225 Easton Ave., with the meetings open to the public and live-streamed via Zoom.
