After several hours of studying various budget items with the Franklin Township board of supervisors and road foreman Robin Cressley, Franklin Township secretary Sandra Gaumer, has a clearer idea of how to prepare the budget for 2011.

With sewage, roads, police department, garbage and general expense ledgers laid across the table Tuesday afternoon, Gaumer dug in and went over line items, item by item.After several hours of scrutiny, supervisors plan to maintain the same milage, which means no tax hike for township residents for 2011. Milage will remain at 6.3 mills for general funds and .537 mills for the capitol reserve building fund, for a total of 6.837 mills. Residents who live within 750 feet from a fire hydrant are assessed an additional .8 mills.Tentative adoption of the budget will be done at the Nov. 23 meeting, which was rescheduled from Nov. 16, to give Gaumer another week to work on completing the budget. Final adoption of the budget will be done at the Dec. 21 meeting.The township anticipates $1,169,075 in tax revenues for 2011, but the number of residents who are not paying for garbage and sewage is putting a damper on township's coffers.Brenda Neeb, township employee, confirmed that the overdue amount that is owed by township residents for garbage is at $140,000. She said she believes that about half of that money is uncollectable.Gaumer anticipates that $35,000 will be in arrears in the garbage account for this year.Supervisors had hired a collection agency to help with collecting unpaid garbage bills, but the collection agency failed to collect a significant amount.Gaumer confirmed the firm collected less than $150 in the past year.After hearing that comment, supervisors voted to tell the firm they will not renew the contract.According to the contract, the firm requires a six-month notice to terminate the contract.Chairman Rod Green said that the township will go back to filing liens on properties since the collection agency failed to provide quality services. Gaumer said that will mean an additional $5,000 will be needed for court costs."They talked a good game, but they didn't come through," said Green.Supervisors also discussed cutting costs in the garbage area by selling off one of the garbage trucks.The township currently has three garbage trucks and Green said that one should be sold to cut costs.Larry Smith, supervisor, pressed to get rid of the smaller of the three because it is in the poorest shape.Cressley said that truck was retained for Court Street because the bigger trucks cannot navigate the narrow street.Smith suggested that the garbage crew use a pick up truck for that one street in the future."I can't see getting rid of the Mack because it has a good packer," said Smith.Another issue that made an impact on township spending was liability insurance costs. Because of several ongoing lawsuits, the township expects to pay increases in premiums. Gaumer also noted there will be an increase in workmen's compensation expenses over last year.Supervisors also discussed the rising number of people who are in arrears for sewage bills."The water shut offs seem to work there," said Green.Gaumer said that she has also penciled in that employees will receive a 3 percent raise in pay for 2011. She noted that hospitalization expenses increased 10 percent in September, plus there are increases in costs for vision, dental, electricity and gasoline and diesel fuel.Gaumer said that office employees have kept records of how their time is spent, so that the appropriate funds costs can be seen. Because of that record keeping, they have shifted salary costs in various accounts. She said that doesn't change the budget, but gives a truer accounting of costs.Cressley said that he is hoping to do several road projects next year, with some oil and chipping and some road paving. He also requested to have funds set aside to replace about five underground drainage pipes every year.Gaumer noted that the township is in good shape for the rest of the year, with approximately $75,000 unspent until the end of the year.