Hatboro Holds Line on Taxes

The Hatboro Borough Council adopted its 2013 budget this week.

Hatboro residents could see higher taxes next year from the Hatboro-Horsham School District, but the borough has kept its municipal tax for 2013 flat. On Monday night the Hatboro Borough Council unanimously adopted its $4.6 million 2013 budget, which maintains the current 7.878 millage rate. The spending plan reflects a .64 percent increase in the general fund, while cutting "non-employee related expenses" to 2010 actual expenses, according to Councilman Vincent LaSorsa. In addition to maintaining the existing millage rate, LaSorsa said previously that he "rearranged" some of the borough's taxes. LaSorsa said the amounts for fire protection and debt service were increased, while the general fund rate was reduced. 

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Horsham Adopts 2013 Budget

The Horsham Township Council adopted its spending plan for 2013, which holds the line of property taxes.

As has been the case for the last decade, the average Horsham taxpayer will continue to pay $178.37 for municipal real estate taxes under the township's $14.1 million spending plan.  The Horsham Township Council unanimously adopted its 2013 budget Wednesday night. Councilman W. William Whiteside was absent. The spending plan increases spending by 5 percent while maintaining existing taxes, which were last raised in 2002, following a voter referendum approved to build the Horsham Township Library. Prior to that, elected officials last raised taxes in 1989. Along with upgrades to Samuel Carpenter Park and Kohler Park, replacement police and highway department vehicles, the paving of 2.75 miles of road in the Oak Hill residential development …

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Hatboro Adopts Preliminary 2013 Budget

The Hatboro Borough Council is expected to adopt its finalized 2013 spending plan on Dec. 17.

Hatboro taxpayers are getting an early Christmas present: No additional municipal taxes. On Monday night the Hatboro Borough Council adopted the preliminary version of its $4.6 million spending plan, which holds the line on taxes for the coming year.  The governing body is slated to adopt the final budget on Dec. 17. In addition to maintaining the existing 7.878 millage rate, Councilman Vincent LaSorsa said he "rearranged" some of the borough's taxes. LaSorsa said the amounts for fire protection and debt service were increased, while the general fund rate was reduced.  Based on a cash flow analysis through spring 2013, LaSorsa said it would not be necessary for the borough to take out a tax anticipation notice - or loan - to cover …

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Hatboro Council: No Tax Hike in 2013

The Hatboro Borough Council is poised to adopt its 2013 budget on Dec. 17.

Hatboro taxpayers will not see an increase in municipal taxes in 2013, according to elected officials. While the spending plan has not yet been adopted, Councilman Vincent LaSorsa, a certified public accountant and the governing body's main overseer of the budget, said the borough had overestimated its health care costs for the coming year and had borough departments reduce their individual budgets based on the 2010 model.  "That was a big piece of it," LaSorsa told Patch.  That left the borough with a roughly $50,000 surplus, approximately what the projected shortfall was about two weeks ago. "There will be no tax increase for real estate taxes for 2013," Council President John Zygmont said during the meeting, adding that the yet-to-be-…

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Hatboro to Begin 2013 Budget Process

Hatboro Borough Council will begin its budget review on Thursday, with preliminary adoption following later in the month.

Hatboro Council President John Zygmont has said that a tax increase is "reality." On Thursday afternoon, officials may have a better sense of how much that reality is going to cost. The council is holding a detail budget review on Nov. 8 at 4 p.m. From there, the council is slated to adopt its preliminary 2013 budget on Nov. 19 during the governing body's regularly scheduled meeting, Zygmont said.  Final adoption will follow on Dec. 17, he said. The spending plan will be discussed "as needed" during the Dec. 3 council meeting, according to Zygmont. In terms of large-scale projects like the possibility of a renovated or rebuilt police station, stormwater projects and paving, Zygmont said the council will hold its next capital budget meeting…

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Horsham Delegate Talks Taxes, Education with Corbett

Horsham Township Republican Party Chairman Bill Donnelly chatted with Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett at a party during this week's Republican National Convention in Tampa.

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Last Chance: Filing 2011 Tax Returns

Tuesday is the submission deadline.

Procrastinators beware: You only have one more day to put off filing your 2011 tax return. April 17 is the filing deadline. Should you wait until then to submit a paper application, you will want to make sure it’s postmarked before the Post Office in Hatboro or Horsham closes for the day. Post Office officials said the local facilities will have regular hours on Tuesday, which is tax day. Hatboro will be open from 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., while Horsham’s hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. If you’d like to forego the long lines at the Post Office, you could join the nearly 80 percent of taxpayers who, according to the IRS, use IRS e-file to submit tax returns.  Worried you may have put off tax preparation too long? The IRS allows for a six-month …

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Winner: Best Tax Preparer

See who won this week's Readers' Choice poll.

With the deadline for tax filing around the corner, we asked Patch users to choose their favorite tax preparer in Hatboro and Horsham. Hatboro-based Galinski, Tillman & Zygmont Certified Public Accountants claimed a whopping 87 percent of the vote to win this week's Patch Readers' Choice poll. The "other" category, which netted 6 percent of the votes tallied and three single comments for different tax preparing options, followed in second. Check back next week when we ask you to choose the best rainy spot to take the kids. (Spoiler alert, there's rain in next week's forecast).

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Hatboro Council Concedes, Raises Taxes

Facing the prospect of a total government shutdown, the governing body finally approves a budget.

After two hours of what one Hatboro Borough Councilman characterized as a “three-ring circus,” the governing body adopted its 2012 budget which calls for a $52 tax hike for every $100,000 of assessed property. The final vote came after several failed attempts and lots of discussion, mostly centered around whether the council should transfer $4,432 from its capital fund to cover unaccounted for, yet previously agreed upon salary increases for the codes department and borough manager. In the end, after discussing a total government shutdown if a balanced budget could not be adopted by Dec. 31, the council voted 4-3 to adopt its $4.5 million budget as it had been originally outlined and considered at the beginning of Monday night’s meeting. …

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