Tuesday, April 23, 2013
The average homeowner in Centennial School District will be expected to pay approximately $50 more in real estate taxes in the coming year, according to the preliminary budget passed Tuesday.
The Centennial School Board of Directors come one step closer to adopting the district's 2013-14 budget Tuesday evening and it includes a tax hike for district homeowners. The vote was 8-1 in favor of moving forward with the district's $101,158,698 general fund budget, with Board Member Jane Schrader Lynch offering the dissenting vote. The budget includes a tax increase from the current rate of 116.07 mills to 118.04 mills. This rate represents a 1.97 mill increase, the maximum rate allowed under Pennsylvania's Act 1 index. A mill is equal to a dollar of tax on every $1,000 of assessed property value. Currently, the average home assessment in Centennial is $26,400. A 1.97 mill increase equates to an extra $48.46 in taxes for the average …
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
The Centennial School Board will discuss the district's 2013-14 budget Tuesday evening.
The Centennial School Board of Directors will meet Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. Among several items on the meetings agenda, is a vote to adopt the preliminary budget for 2013-14. You can read the full agenda for tonight's meeting by clicking here. The meeting, scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., will be held in the Board Meeting Room at the Johnsville Administration Building, 433 Centennial Drive, in Warminster. Can't make it out to the meeting? You can also watch it in real-time via the district's website, or via the district's public access television station (Channel 28 for Comcast customers and Channel 36 for Verizon subscribers).
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick voted for the deal, which maintains income tax rates for people making less than $400,000 and couples earning less than $450,000 a year.
After months of negotiating, arguing and handwringing, the United States avoided tumbling over the dreaded fiscal cliff Tuesday night when the House of Representatives passed the Senate proposal by a 257-167 vote, CNN reports. After House Speaker John Boehner spiked an idea to re-open the Senate deal to add more spending cuts, Congress approved the measure with 172 votes from Democrats and 85 from Republicans, including Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-8). "In August 2012, I voted to extend tax rates and other tax provisions for all taxpayers - a measure which the Senate refused to take up," said Fitzpatrick in a statement released by his office. "Throughout the fiscal cliff debate, my number one priority has been to maintain the lowest rates …
Friday, December 14, 2012
Here are ten ways to have fun and spread holiday cheer without breaking the bank.
This year’s holiday season can be special for you and your family regardless of your budget. Here are some fun tips for creating new holiday traditions while saving money. 1) Make your cards from recycled materials. Cards can be made from paper grocery bags, cereal boxes, used file folders and even last year’s holiday cards. Feature your family’s artwork and use recycled wrapping paper or paper from catalogs and magazines for backgrounds. A great resource for making cards from recycled materials is "Creative Correspondence" by Michael and Judy Jacobs, available at Barnes and Noble or on Amazon.com. 2) Have fun together and create a festive decoration by making a gingerbread house. You can bake the gingerbread yourself and use …
Monday, November 26, 2012
How much is too much to spend on children and teens? We want to hear your thoughts, Southampton!
As the holiday shopping season goes into full swing, some people are maxing out their credit cards to pay for presents and others are setting budgets and sticking with them. Scour just about any Facebook stream or stop in a local coffee shop and chances are you’ll hear parents debating the merits of setting spending limits. Or, you'll hear them lamenting about just how much they've already spent. The ideas for a perfect limit do seem to vary rather greatly. Some parents say $100 per child is more than enough. Others tend to lean toward much more generous figures. After all, there’s nothing like seeing a child’s eyes light up as they unwrap gift after gift. And that’s what we want to hear from you about, Southampton! Do you set spending …
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
The Upper Southampton Township Board of Supervisors proposed a balanced budget with no additional real estate taxes for 2013.
Upper Southampton Township will not be asking for an increase in real estate taxes for 2013. "I am absolutely pleased that there is no tax increase, that the budget is balanced and that we can move forward," said Township Supervisor Lola Biuckians. The proposed budget that the board of supervisors proffered at its meeting Tuesday evening kept the real estate tax rate at 21.88 mills, the same as for 2012. Trash collection fees also remained unchanged. Township Manager Joe Golden said the township will continue its aggressive program to improve infrastructure, particularly in the areas of stormwater management, street paving and recreation. Golden offered the following summary of the 2013 budget: Included in the budget is the construction …
Thursday, October 25, 2012
A workshop hosted at William Tennent walked students through the process of creating their own budgets.
When John Thomas walked into William Tennent High School Wednesday morning, he felt pretty confident about his choice of mechanical engineering as a career. When the Neshaminy senior left Tennent a few hours later, he was more certain than ever that he made the right decision. His participation in the REAL Solutions Financial Reality Fair gave Thomas a dry run of what to expect when he graduates college and enters the workforce. The workshop showed Thomas that his lifelong philosophy of save, save, save has served him well. "I've been saving since I was born," said Thomas. "It's how I bought my jeep. The fair gives you the option to save between 3 and 6 percent, but I boosted it up to 10 percent and still managed to have a good life …
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Largest taxpayer-supported incentives package in state history
- GOVERNMENT
-
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Governor Tom Corbett spoke at a Harrisburg news conference this week to present “the largest taxpayer-paid financial incentives project in Pennsylvania history," the Associated Press reports. The move comes as Netherlands-based Royal Dutch Shell PLC has inked a preliminary deal to build a large refinery about 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. Watch the video to see Gov. Corbett talk about the proposed Shell refinery in March. The proposed tax credit would take effect in 2017 and be worth up to $66 million a year to the energy company for 25 years. Characterized by Corbett as an effort to "invest in a new industrial revolution," the plan's supporters say it would create as many as 17,000 "spin-off jobs," in addition to the 400 jobs at …
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
The amended contract slows down salary increases and offers an early retirement incentive to eligible teachers. The move helped the district close the final gap in the 2012-2013 budget.
After months of renegotiations, the Centennial School District and Centennial Education Association came to a new agreement Tuesday night that extends the teachers' contract to 2016 and gives the district better control over the cost of salaries. The extensions slows down and spreads out the salary increase increments over four years, instead of two, with an dditional .25 percent increase in 2015-2016. According to a release provided by the school district, the renegotiated four year package costs Centennial only the equivalent of two-thirds of one step more than the original two year contract. “Our membership is more dedicated to academic, athletic and arts excellence than ever,” said Centennial Education Association President Cheryl …
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Centennial administration has until June 12 to make up the final $700,000 shortfall.
With a 7-2 vote, the Centennial School Board accepted the proposed 2012-2013 budget Tuesday night during it's regular meeting. As of now, the projections include a deficit that stands at $766,192. District business administrator Chris Berdnik has until June 12 to make up the difference before the school board approves the budget's final adoption. Berdnik originally calculated the deficit at $4 million, but items such as the sale of Leary, Longstreth and Stackpole Elementary Schools, the elimination of 24 full time staff positions and minor spending cuts in every department have whittled the number down. The preliminary budget started at more than $100 million in expenditures and is now down to $98 million. The proposed budget also includes…
Sarah Ronzelli
10:21 am on Sunday, May 12, 2013
Marie Brzezinski, when you were on the School Board, you raised TAXES every year for 12 years and never said NO to any budget. more ›