South Annville considers proposed 2026 budget before vote in December

This article was funded by LebTown donors as part of our Civic Impact Reporting Project.

During the Nov. 12 meeting, the South Annville Township Board of Supervisors considered a proposed 2026 budget with expenses and revenue both totaling $1,577,700.

The budget is balanced, township manager Jeanette Henning told LebTown, with no tax increases set for 2026.

Supervisors will revisit the budget at their Dec. 10 meeting, when they can make minor but not major changes without re-advertising before they vote.

Regarding expenses, the proposed budget features a 13% increase in health insurance, a 2% increase in liability insurance, and a 4% increase in worker’s comp, as well as an increase in payroll, which, in turn, means an increase in payroll taxes.

The proposed budget also sees a $150 increase in the monthly fee for IT service through Eagle Secure Solutions. Henning told supervisors that Eagle Secure Solutions notified the township about the increase back in September but is waiting until January to enforce it. Computer program expenses are not expected to increase.

In addition, the proposed budget includes a $12,000 increase for Western Lebanon County Regional Police Department coverage, a donation to the First Aid and Safety Patrol of Lebanon as its five-year contract expires in 2026, and a larger donation for fire protection as vice chairman John Harrell felt the township had the means to do so.

Regarding income, the proposed budget features $175,000 for realty transfer, which Henning is pretty confident the township will meet due to Wynfield at Annville, Candler’s Pointe, and Southgate.

Henning added that she would rather be more aggressive with the expenses than the income so additional income would be a bonus to the township rather than factored into the budget.

Supervisors unanimously approved a development agreement written by township solicitor Josele Cleary regarding phase two of Candler’s Pointe. The agreement includes a $118,000 letter of credit for the developers to temporarily move forward with phase two before the preliminary and final plans are submitted and approved.

Todd Geist who lives on Diamond Drive had called the township about two weeks ago and asked to be placed on the agenda but had not elaborated on the reason. Geist was absent, and no further action was taken at the meeting.

In other news, supervisors unanimously moved to:

• Approve the secretary’s, treasurer’s, and engineer’s reports, the latter of which included:
  • Checking in on the status of the Louser Road drainage, the Bachman Road realignment, and the Horseshoe Trail sewer projects, with updates to come between now and the December meeting.
  • Reviewing the ramps along Flora Boulevard in Candler’s Pointe, which were found to not be ADA-compliant. In the future, once these issues are resolved, these ramps will be offered for dedication to the township.
• Approve the police report, which included 211 calls for township and 31 for regional and a total of 337 hours for township and 43 for regional, as well as the payment of township bills.

During public comment, Dustin Sider, a representative of the Annville-Cleona Fire Department, thanked South Annville for its financial support of the fire department.

Sider also provided supervisors with a copy of the 68-page fire regionalization study on six municipalities in Lebanon County completed in September by the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development, along with a one-page, AI-generated summary of the study’s findings regarding the fire department.

Read More: Study recommends consolidation of fire departments across six municipalities

During the updates portion of the meeting, supervisors learned that DHL will start construction in January or February for potential completion in August or September to have a tenant in the warehouse.

Supervisors also learned that Chief Barry Sell stopped into the township office a week or two ago to thank the township for its donation to the Campbelltown Fire Company. Likewise, Chief Travis Haak called the township office a few days ago to thank the township for its donation to the Mount Gretna Fire Company.

South Annville Township supervisors meet at 7 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month. Meetings are held in the township building at 1042 Horseshoe Pike, which features an ADA-accessible ramp and an on-site parking lot with ADA-accessible spaces, and are open to the public. Next month’s meeting will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 10.