Lower Towamensing Township residents can take a huge sigh of relief: their property taxes will not increase next year.

The township's board of supervisors granted final adoption of the 2010 spending plan at their end-of-year meeting on Tuesday.Supervisor Gerard Madden and supervisors Chairman Ron Walbert voted in favor. Supervisor Glen Hahn was absent.The budget will leave the property tax rate at 1.6 mills. That means the owner of a home valued at $100,000, which would be assessed at $50,000, would again pay $80 to the township in property taxes.The budget calls for $1,637,226 in revenue, and $1,002,244 in expenditures.Walbert said the township is fortunate in that the budget has a "nice surplus.""I think it's a real austere budget," Walbert said. "I think it's a good budget."Walbert said the budget does call for a 2-percent raise in salary for township employees.He then complimented secretary Christine Wentz and former secretary Jillyan Sterling on a job well done.This year's budget called for a 5 percent raise in the light tax, which raised it from 25 cents to 30 cents per front foot for Aquashicola residents who live within 250 feet of street light.That cost was the result of the expected increase in energy costs as of Jan. 1, 2010.Also as part of that budget, supervisors increased the township's contribution rate of the local services tax to the Aquashicola Fire Department, from 25 percent to 28 percent.In other business, supervisors• Accepted a proposal for 2010 Insurance from Brosky Insurance Agency.• Appointed Wentz as the Open Records Officer.• Adopted a revised fee schedule that increases the rate for variance special exception appeals from $350 to $500, and conditional use for building ordinance from $200 to $500.• Agreed to place Wentz on the PMRS Pension Plan, retroactive to Sept. 1.• Announced the board's reorganization meeting will be held at 3 p.m. Jan. 4. The regular meeting for January will follow.• Announced that the township's Board of Auditors will meet at 10 a.m. Jan. 5.