At its meeting on January 30, 2012, the Manheim Township Board of Commissioners took formal action to amend the 2012 budget and make adjustments to the Township's General Fund, the Capital Improvement Program Plan, General Capital Reserve Fund and Parks Capital Reserve Fund originally adopted on December 2011.
The results of the budget workshop produced reductions to the General Fund in the amount approximately $175,000. Newsletter production appropriations were reduce by 50%. The Township's "Spring Fling," which has been hampered with bad weather of the past few years will be canceled. The Fall Into Fitness 5K Run will also be canceled in 2012..
The Commissioners also examined, eliminated or postponed several large capital project appropriations in the for 2012 General Capital Reserve Fund (GCRF), which included holding spending on the TDR program in 2012, the Township's sign improvement program, and the reconstruction of Erbs Quarry Road. The Commissioners also realigned funding of several recreation projects away from the GCRF to the Township's Park Capital Reserve Fund. The Commissioners' work on the capital spending funds produced spending reductions in the GCRF equal to approximately $1.2 million.
Under the PA First Class Code, this "opening of the budget" is authorized in Section 1701.1. During the month of January following any municipal election, the commissioners may amend the budget and, if necessary, levy and tax rate to conform with its amended budget. The amended budget must be adopted by the township commissioners on or before the fifteenth day of February.
The law governing budget amendment procedures limits the amount accounts approved my be revised upward to no more than ten percent in the aggregate, or to an individual item in excess of twenty-five percent of the amount of such individual item in the proposed amended budget.
Public notice will be published announcing a period of ten days' is set aside for public inspection of the budget prior to official action. The Township's amended budget will be available for public review beginning on Thursday February 2, 2012 or Friday, February 3, 2012. The document will be available at the Township Adminstration Building and the Manheim Township Public Library. Revised versions of the 2012 budget will also be posted on the Township website. The budget revised budget ordinance is scheduled be adopted at the regular Board of Commissioners meeting on February 13, 2012.