Chart depicting Upper Gwynedd’s capital reserve fund balance from 2022 through 2025, as presented during the Nov. 12, 2024 township commissioners meeting. (Credit: Upper Gwynedd Township)
Volunteer boards still have openings for interested residents
Taxpayers in Upper Gwynedd are heading into 2025 with good news.
Township officials voted in late December to finalize a budget for the upcoming year, keeping both taxes and sewer rates level.
“I’d like to make a motion to approve ordinance 2024-05, the 2025 tax rate, advertised November 15th of 2024; there is no tax hike for Upper Gwynedd,” said commissioners President Katherine Carter.
In November the township’s staff presented a 2025 budget with a total operating revenue of $12.9 million, plus a planned transfer of roughly $4.1 million from reserves to tackle capital projects throughout the township. In 2023 for ’24 the commissioners approved Upper Gwynedd’s first sewer rate hike since 2017, and taxes will maintain prior levels of a 2.041 mill tax rate and $30,000 homestead exemption.
Major changes included in the 2025 budget include two new police hires to create a traffic safety unit, includes increased allocations to the North Wales Area Library and VMSC-EMS, a separate line item for financial administration that’s now separate from administrative costs, a new fulltime deputy fire marshal who will largely be tasked with apartment inspections, a new HR coordinator to oversee more than 60 township employees, and reduced costs in building and grounds as renovations to the township administration building are completed.
Large capital projects planned for 2025 include a $1.9 million project to rebuild a pedestrian bridge on Sumneytown Pike, coupled with $527,000 to move an existing bridge there, plus $1.2 million in streambank upgrades near Haines Run; $1.4 million in road paving and another $404,000 in microsurfacing expected for the year; a new pole barn for storage for the parks and recreation department; installation of a new basketball court at the Parkside Place complex, and a trail connection to Stony Creek Park on the township’s border with Lansdale.
During their year-end meeting on Dec. 9, the commissioners unanimously approved motions adopting the tax millage for 2025, then adopting the budget itself, both with no comments from the board or public.
Several other year-end approvals were also voted unanimously, including a long list of appointments of township consultants, including reappointments for Lauren Gallagher as township solicitor, Nick Cross as township engineer, Gilmore and Associates as sewer engineer, Conor McCann as fire marshal, and several volunteer board and commission appointees. One appointee received his own vote: resident Mark Connelly was appointed to a three-year term on the zoning hearing board, running through 2027.
Chart depicting Upper Gwynedd’s annual operating revenues from 2023 and 2024 and projections for 2025, as presented during the Nov. 12, 2024 township commissioners meeting. (Credit: Upper Gwynedd Township)One vacancy is now seeking a volunteer: the township sent a notification Thursday seeking anyone interested in serving on the Nor-Gwyn Pool Commission, which is responsible for oversight of the pool operation at the township’s Parkside Place complex including setting rates, implementation of rules/regulations, hiring of paid staff, and ensuring the pool is properly maintained. That commission meets monthly, and other vacancies posted in early December included spots on the Industrial Development Authority, Joint Board of Appeals and Planning Commission; anyone interested in volunteering is asked to send a letter of interest and resume to Assistant Township Manager Megan Weaver at [email protected].
nd if you’re a regular attendee of the township’s annual carnival, get out your 2025 calendar: the board also approved a contract with New Jersey-based Skelly’s Amusements to run and provide rides and concessions for that carnival, with scheduled dates of Sept. 4 through 7 in 2025 and Sept. 10 through 13 for 2026.
Upper Gwynedd’s commissioners next meet at 7 p.m. on Jan. 6 and 13, both at the township administration building, 1 Parkside Place. For more information visit www.UpperGwynedd.org.
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