Douglass Township 2027 Budget Taps $268,689 From Sewer Fund

Douglass Township has posted a proposed 2027 budget that plans to spend $79,906 more than it takes in, and that counts on $268,689 moved over from the township's sewer fund to get there. The six-page document lists no property tax rate, so whether residents' township tax bills change next year is not stated anywhere in it. The township's homepage says the budget "is available for review" and that supervisors will adopt it at their Dec. 14 meeting.

The budget is a scanned printout of a QuickBooks report, dated Oct. 21, with no cover memo. It is prepared on a cash basis, which means it counts money when it is received or paid out, not when it is owed. It is split into three funds, separate pots of money kept for separate purposes: the first four pages cover the township's main operating account (the 2026 version labels it "Fund 01-General Fund"; the 2027 printout carries the township's name instead), page 5 covers Fund 08, the Sewer Fund, and page 6 covers Fund 35, the Liquid Fuels Fund, which holds the state gas-tax money the township gets for roads.

What the general fund shows

The general fund expects $2,817,536 in income and $2,897,442 in expenses next year, a gap of $79,906 (budget, pp. 1 and 4). The report does not say how that gap is covered. It lists no fund balance, the money a government carries over from earlier years, and no line for drawing on savings.

The biggest income lines (p. 1) are:

• Real estate tax, current year: $1,070,866
• Earned income tax, the tax on residents' wages: $725,000
• Interest earned: $150,000
• State pension aid: $105,000
• Fire tax: $89,238
• Real estate transfer tax: $72,000
• Building permits: $68,000
• Transfer from Sewer (operation): $268,689

That last line is a transfer, money moved from one township fund to another. The sewer fund's page lists the same $268,689 going out as "Sewer Operations to General" (p. 5). Without it, the general fund would plan to spend $348,595 more than it collects.

The 2027 report also carries an "EMS Tax" line of $23,797 (p. 1). The township's posted 2026 budget has no such line. Neither document says what rate produces it; more on that below.

Compared with 2026

The only 2026 budget on the township's budget page is itself labeled "2026 Proposed Budget," printed Oct. 28, 2025, so this comparison is proposed-to-proposed; the township has not posted an adopted version of either year.

• General fund income rises from $2,658,203 to $2,817,536, up $159,333, or about 6 percent (2026, p. 2; 2027, p. 1).
• General fund spending rises from $2,757,606 to $2,897,442, up $139,836, or about 5 percent (2026 p. 4; 2027 p. 4).
• The gap narrows: the 2026 plan was $99,403 short; the 2027 plan is $79,906 short.
• The current-year real estate tax line rises from $1,053,380 to $1,070,866, up $17,486, or about 1.7 percent (2026 p. 1; 2027 p. 1). The documents do not say whether that comes from a rate change or from growth in the tax base.
• Earned income tax rises from $640,000 to $725,000.
• The sewer transfer rises from $214,572 to $268,689.

On the tax rate, the only figures available are this year's, and the two sources state them differently. The county's 2026 tax table lists Douglass Township at 5.2 mills, and its footnote says the rates "do not include any additional fees, such as Trash, Recycling, Fire, EMS, etc. or other millage-based taxes." The township's own tax information page says, "The current tax rate for Douglass Township includes the fire tax is .00555 mills," that is, 5.55 mills. A mill is $1 of tax for every $1,000 of assessed value, so a property assessed at $100,000 pays $520 a year at the county table's rate or $555 at the township's combined figure, before the county's 9.013 mills and the Boyertown Area School District's 33.31 mills. Neither source itemizes the fire tax. Our guide to property tax rates by municipality has every town's figures, and how your bill is split explains the three parts.

The 2027 budget's "310.80 · Fire Tax" line ($89,238) and its "310.90 · EMS Tax" line ($23,797) carry no millage (p. 1). An EMS tax is a levy a township may set apart from its general rate to pay for ambulance service, and nothing posted says whether the township already collects one for 2026 or would start in 2027. That is the open question for Dec. 14. Nothing in the 2027 budget says whether the township rate stays where it is, and the township has posted no tax ordinance or resolution for 2027.

Police

The police department is the single largest cost, at $1,185,606 (p. 2), within $1,400,273 for all public safety, which also includes fire and ambulance contributions, dispatching, zoning enforcement and emergency management (p. 3). The police line is lower than the 2026 plan's $1,252,458 (2026 p. 3), though more of its lines rose than fell:

• Police chief salary: $124,800, up from $115,234
• Sergeant salary: $100,281, up from $96,419
• Patrolmen salary: $362,324, up from $348,332
• Health insurance: $257,193, up from $205,921, a $51,272 increase
• Pension: $38,429, down from $98,487

The 2026 plan also had a $66,727 "Capital Purchases" line for police that does not appear in 2027, and "Range Fees" fall to $2,500 from $27,500 (2027 p. 2; 2026 p. 3). The drop in the pension line, the missing "Capital Purchases" line and the range-fee cut account for most of the department's lower total; the documents do not explain any of the three changes.

Roads, the manager and the rest

Highways, roads and streets rise to $714,424 from $577,495 (2027 p. 3; 2026 p. 4). The largest jump is "Maint-Roads & Bridges," at $120,500 against $35,500 in the 2026 plan. The Liquid Fuels Fund adds $174,000 in road spending on top of that, including $160,000 for "Construction/Rebuilding Project," against $173,021 in expected state money plus $5,000 in interest (p. 6). The Nov. 9 agenda asked the board to let the engineer advertise the 2027 roadwork project.

General government costs rise to $566,961 from $476,415. The township manager's salary is budgeted at $132,947, up from $123,191 (2027 p. 1; 2026 p. 2).

The sewer fund and the $1,870,000 loan

The Sewer Fund expects $797,152 in income and $824,077 in expenses, $26,925 more out than in (p. 5). Sewer use charges, the bills customers pay, bring in $520,256, close to 2026's $517,300. Connection and tapping fees, the one-time charge for a new hookup, fall to $222,076 from $391,900. Capital improvements rise to $354,488 from $192,875. The 2026 plan had the sewer fund ending $341,423 ahead; the 2027 plan has it $26,925 behind.

On Oct. 12 the board adopted Ordinance 2026-02, a general obligation note, meaning a loan backed by the township's taxing power, "in the amount of $1,870,000," and accepted a Fleetwood Bank proposal; the minutes say, "The best proposal was approved by the board and will be issued for payment to Amity Township for the sewer improvements to the treatment plant." The budget's sewer fund pays $135,000 for "Sewage Treatment" (p. 5). The Nov. 9 agenda asked for "a motion authorizing the Township to sign the Sewer loan closing documents." The budget does not show where the $1,870,000 lands: the sewer fund's income lists no loan proceeds, its capital line is $354,488, and no page in any of the three funds carries a debt-service line for payments on the note. Neither the minutes nor the budget states the interest rate, the term or how the payments will be made. Our Nov. 9 roundup has the loan's history.

What is not posted

The township has posted no record of its Nov. 9 meeting, where the agenda asked the board to "advertise the proposed 2027 budget for adoption"; the minutes page ends at Oct. 12 and the agendas page at Nov. 9. The Sept. 28 budget workshop minutes say only that the board "reviewed the proposed budget and made adjustments accordingly." No agenda for Dec. 14 is posted yet.

How to comment

The supervisors meet at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 14, the last date on the township's 2026 schedule. That page lists the township office at 1068 Douglass Drive, Boyertown, and the phone number 610-367-8500, but prints no meeting location. The Nov. 9 agenda shows the board's usual format: a public comment period on agenda items near the start and a general public comment period near the end, with a two-minute limit per speaker. The budget can be read on the township's budget page, and the office is open weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. except Tuesday, when it closes at 3 p.m.