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North Annville Township supervisors on Monday passed their 2025 budget, which is projected to end that calendar year with a balance of over $1.8 million.
The projected budget is expected to leave a surplus of $89,736 at the end of the year, according to public documents provided to LebTown and meeting attendees, which means the township will have a general fund balance at the end of 2025 of $1,846,236.99.
Township treasurer Adam D. Wolfe said North Annville is the only municipality in Lebanon County that does not have a millage rate, meaning the township’s budget is set primarily via earned income and real estate transfer taxes.
At their November monthly meeting, it was requested during public comment for the supervisors to transfer $100,000 from the general fund to the township’s Fire Service Capital Fund for the anticipated purchase of a new fire truck for the municipality’s newly formed fire department.
Wolfe announced prior to its passage that the tentative budget had been amended to grant that requested action.
Officials with Bellgrove and Union Water Works fire companies, who will become the North Annville Fire Company on Jan. 1, plan to purchase a new fire engine once they are operational and have the appropriate funds.
Major anticipated disbursements in the 2025 township budget include contributions to fire ($139,650) and contracted police ($98,500) services, the latter with Cleona Borough, highway maintenance ($90,000), township solicitor ($50,000) and engineering fees ($30,000).
In two separate actions related to the new fire company and its members, supervisors voted to approve the North Annville Fire Company operational agreement and the list of 2024 volunteer firefighters who qualify for Act 172 Earned Income Tax Credit.
The operational agreement is the fire department’s new bylaws that will govern the organization.
Act 172 of 2016 was created as an incentive to encourage state residents to become active members in their local fire departments by providing either real estate or earned income tax credits to those who qualify.
In other business, supervisors received a report from an engineering firm concerning a proposed self-storage facility change of use request for 475 N. Weaber St., Annville.
Alex Kauffman, an engineer with Steckbeck Engineering & Surveying Inc., gave a presentation for proposed storage units that will occupy 8,800-square-feet on the property.
Kauffman noted the only part of the property actually in North Annville Township is the existing building, and that the space is currently zoned agricultural. He stated one acre of the seven for the property is located in North Annville Township with the rest situated in Annville Township, with that space zoned as light industrial.
Kauffman said the lease for the company that is currently renting the property is ending and that business is not planning to renew it, which led the land owner to seek a different use for that space.
The proposed plan calls for using the existing parking lot and building to add storage units in those areas. Since it is zoned agricultural and storage units are not permitted for that use, Kauffman said a variance or other action would have to be implemented.
He said one action is to allow an extension of the use in Annville Township only for the rest of the property, adding that precedent exists elsewhere in Lebanon County. He cited an example of a large residential development situated in West Cornwall Township and Cornwall Borough.
Other solutions are a zoning variance, which would require a zoning board hearing, changing the zoning map, or having North Annville Township annex that property to Annville Township. Kauffman said neither of the last two options are the best, adding that he’s never even heard of an annexation being executed.
“An amendment or a variance would be ideal,” said Kauffman to the supervisors. “We would like to get the supervisors’ opinion about what you would like to see in North Annville here and what you would be open to considering us doing in North Annville.”
Supervisors did not take any action on the proposal since Kauffman said there is no rush to move this plan forward. He said there’s no timeline for the project and that the engineering firm will be creating a land development plan for it.
In other township business, supervisors:
- Announced 2025 township supervisor meeting dates.
- Approved payment of the township’s monthly invoices.
- Received the police, fire company, emergency services advisory committee, road, planning commission and zoning hearing board reports.
- Informed residents that the Annville Drop Off Center rate is $350 for 2025.
- Accepted the minutes of their Nov. 11 public meeting and the treasurer’s report.
The North Annville Township supervisors meet the second Monday of the month at 7:30 p.m. in the social hall of Union Water Works Fire Company.
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