DelCo township actually decreases property taxes

A Delaware County town is cutting taxes instead of raising them, though residents will have to be careful not to spend all the savings in one place.Chairman Mark Kirchgasser of Middletown Township Council says the suburban Philadelphia municipality is making the most of a surplus.

“It’s not our money, it’s the taxpayers’ money, so if we are not using it, we should return it,” he said.

Kirchgasser praised Township Manager Bruce Clark for tending municipal finances so carefully.

“Managing salaries, part of that was due to turnovers and our pension pay-in declined significantly, our pension is currently funded at 100 percent, 100.6 percent,” he said.

The savings will average about $20 a household with the typical tax bill dropping from $312 to $292.

Even so, it’s so unusual to see any tax bill decline, they’re getting a lot of attention.