ROSS TOWNSHIP 2018 BUDGET PROCESS AND DATES oss Township
ROSS TOWNSHIP NEWS
The 2018 Budget process has started, and resident’ s input is welcome in determining how tax dollars will be allocated. Previous years’ budget can be found on the Township’ s website, in the Finance Department tab.
Local governments such as Ross Township use Fund Accounting or, in basic terms, split operations that provide different services to the community into separate Funds. Each Fund has their own Revenue and Expense Accounts that are budgeted at or near Revenue neutral. For Ross Township, the 3 main Funds are:
• General Fund( or Operating Fund): the General Fund is the largest Fund, which includes the general operations of the Township. Real Estate Tax, Earned Income Tax, Other Taxes, and Licenses and Permits are the largest Revenue sources, whereas the largest Expenses are Departmental Salary and Benefits, Pension Obligations, Debt Service, Insurance, and Operating Transfers.
• Sanitary Sewer Fund: the Sanitary Sewer Fund is considered an Enterprise Fund for the Township, as the Fund is to be funded primarily through user fees. Sewage User Fees are billed quarterly in the Township, and are based on a fixed Sewage Service Charge and a Sewage Treatment Charge based on water usage in the quarter. Rates are set annually by the Township and Allegheny County Sanitary Authority( ALCOSAN).
• Capital Fund: the Capital Fund allocates a portion of the annual Budget towards capital projects and equipment replacement. The Capital Fund is usually primarily funded by a transfer from the General Fund and supplemented by grants that match or cover corresponding expense appropriations within the Fund.
In August, the Township will also complete its second 5 Year Capital Improvement Plan. This is an important process to
46 Ross Township determining Capital Departmental needs for equipment and vehicle replacements, as well as nonrecurring projects in the Township. The 5 Year Capital Improvement Plan also attempts to identify funding for the Capital Fund Expenses.
Department heads build their individual budgets based on previous years’ service levels, while having the opportunity to add requests for additional services they feel are needed to maintain or improve the resident’ s quality of life. Current year’ s revenues and expenses are evaluated and projected for the remainder of the year, while taking into consideration once per year Revenues and Expenses, as well as the local economy trends. Once all data is compiled by the Finance Department and recommended for approval, a Draft Budget will be sent to the Commissioners for their review and feedback.
The November 6th Committee Meeting will be the first Budget review session with the Draft Budget to the Public and Board of Commissioners. Recommendations made at the meeting will be reviewed by the Finance Department. If many changes are needed, an updated Draft Budget will be brought back to the Board in a specific Review Session the following Monday, November 13th. Final updates will be made to the Budget and presented at the November 20th Regular Meeting. The Board will then adopt the 2017 Budget, by Ordinance, at the December 4th’ s Regular Meeting. The Budget document will then be posted to the website and available for review.
If you would like to see additional funding for a new service or less funding to a current service, now is the time to have conversations with the appropriate parties, whether it be the Department Head, the Township Manager, or your Ward’ s Commissioner. Contact information can be found on the Township’ s website: http:// www. ross. pa. us /
BUDGET