No tax increase for 2021; slowing traffic on Newark Road

"This year's budget looks very much like last year's budget" is how township supervisor Bill Wylie summed up the proposed $541,270 budget for West Marlborough Township at the December township meeting. No tax increase is proposed for 2021.

 Last year's budget process was unusually controversial, as the supervisors decided to greatly increase the township's contribution to the fire and ambulance companies that serve the township, as well as helping to fund the building of a new regional library in Kennett Square. Dozens of residents attended township meetings at the end of 2019 to object to the library funding while supporting the funding increase for the emergency services.

 This coming year those contributions remain in the budget: $15,000 for the new library and $51,313 for EMS. On the income side of the budget, the township expects to receive $150,000 from real estate taxes, $190,000 from earned income taxes, $71,759 from liquid fuel taxes, and additional funding from the state and other sources.

 The final vote on the 2021 budget will take place in the township office (not the garage) at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 28. Here is the proposed budget, which will be posted on the bulletin board outside the township garage:

Also at the monthly meeting, the supervisors discussed the perennial problem of motorists speeding through the township, this time focusing on the three-quarter-mile stretch of Newark Road between Route 82 and Route 842.

 "I see the cars just blazing through there," said Supervisor Jake Chalfin. He said he has noticed that part of Newark Road varies greatly in width, and he wondered whether narrowing the road to a uniform width might slow down traffic.

 Other suggestions discussed included painting white lines along the road edges.

 Road crew supervisor Hugh Lofting said he would measure the varying widths along the road and let the supervisors know his findings.