Muhlenberg Township to Vote on Up to $9M in Bonds

Muhlenberg Township's commissioners meet Monday evening, and the biggest item on the agenda asks them to let the township borrow money.

Commissioners will vote on Ordinance 633, which authorizes the township to issue general obligation bonds in a maximum principal amount of $9 million. A general obligation bond is money a government borrows now and pays back over years, backed by its full faith, credit, and power to tax. That last part matters to residents: the township's taxing power stands behind the debt, so what the board borrows today can shape future budgets and property tax decisions.

What the $9 million would pay for is not spelled out in the posted agenda. The agenda authorizes the borrowing and sets the ceiling, and it names a bond purchase proposal from Raymond James & Associates to buy the bonds on terms set in the ordinance, subject to review by the township solicitor and bond counsel. It does not list the interest rate, the repayment term, the projects the money would fund, or any effect on the tax rate. Residents who want those details can ask at the meeting or watch for the bond's official documents once they are filed. In a related step, commissioners will also vote to appoint Peter Edelman of Stevens & Lee as bond counsel for the 2026 issuance.

Two other spending decisions are on the list. Commissioners will set the township's Minimum Municipal Obligation, the required yearly payment into its pension funds: $854,400 for uniformed employees and $590,137 for non-uniformed employees. The police roster could also grow. The board will vote to accept the certified Civil Service list for the position of Patrol Officer, then vote to extend conditional job offers to three candidates on that list.

Smaller items round out the night: ratification of a $23,883.38 Can Am UTV purchase from Schaeffer Motorsports; a $27,000 contract to the Brenneman Company to color-coat the pickleball courts at 401 Darby Ave.; payment application No. 1 of $51,287.40 to Garland Construction Services for the Pioneer Grove Kayak Launch, along with a $2,174 change order on that project; a resolution transferring a liquor license to 4448 N. 5th St. Highway; and the routine payment of bills.

The Board of Commissioners meets Monday, September 21, at 6 p.m. at the Municipal Building, 210 George St., Reading. Residents can sign in to speak during either public comment period, with a five-minute limit. The township also streams its meetings on YouTube. For a rundown of when local boards gather, see our Berks County township and borough meeting schedule.