Allen Township residents will likely see a garbage collection fee increase in 2025. This comes after JP Mascaro warned the township in August that prices for a new three-year contract will increase by as much as 12.5% in 2026, 5% in 2027 and 7.5% in 2028.
Currently, residents pay a base fee of $300 per year, with a discount of $290 for early payments and $280 for senior citizens. The proposed increase could set the base at $400.
During the Sept. 24 Board of Supervisors meeting, Township Manager Ilene Eckhart admitted the township was not as “aggressive” as it could have been when raising fees in the past.
“We probably should have adjusted last time a little more aggressively,” she told supervisors while outlining updates to the 2025 draft budget.
With the increases proposed by JP Mascaro, supervisors worry that the township’s reserve will be depleted. The equity in this fund helps support other programs in the township, such as electronics recycling and yard waste recycling through FRCA.
“We need some reserve at the end of the budget year,” added Eckhart.
No increase was approved during the meeting, as this decision will be part of the 2025 final budget.
In other news, the township discussed further upgrades to the new municipal building on Howertown Road, which has been undergoing renovations since January.
Supervisors approved access control and security upgrades through Keystone Technologies for $73,199. This price will cover all camera equipment, networking, door access, card readers and telephones.
Eckhart called this a “competitive price.”
Supervisors also discussed adding smoke detectors to the new building; however, some worried that the township was adding too many.
A new change request from contractors recommended 26 smoke detectors for the building, including in every office. The proposed cost would be $1,000 per smoke detector.
“That’s a lot of money,” said Supervisor Paul Link, whose full-time job involves installing fire systems. “I think it is overkill.”
“I cannot imagine that, halfway through the project, we missed 26 smoke detectors,” Link added.
Supervisors did not vote to approve the additional fire alarms and will wait to hear whether they are required.
In other news, the Board of Supervisors is accepting letters of application for the tax collector vacancy position until Oct. 15. For this position, as well as other administrative vacancies, provisions are being made as part of the Allen Township and Fire Company Building Renovation project to provide adequate, modern office spaces for these positions.
Finally, trick-or-treat night was approved for Oct. 31, rain or shine, from 6 to 8 p.m. At this time, no neighboring municipalities have proposed a rain date. If they do, supervisors said Allen Township will follow suit.
The next Allen Township Board of Supervisors meeting will be Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 6 p.m.
