All information provided by… Suburban Realtors Alliance

DEP rejects wastewater plant proposal in Falls
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has rejected a proposal to build a liquid hazardous waste treatment facility in Falls Township. Elcon Recycling Services proposed to build the treatment facility at the Keystone Industrial Port Complex, about a half-mile from the Delaware River. The facility would have primarily been used to treat liquid waste from the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The DEP rejected the permit proposal because Elcon did not provide the necessary documentation to demonstrate the company’s contention that the plant’s proposed site is outside the flood-of-record area. Elcon has the right to reapply, but “they have to start from the ground up” because the original application was rejected, according to a DEP spokeswoman.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 2/4/2015

Bristol Township hoping to carry past success into 2015
Bristol Township Council President Bob Lewis touted many of the positives from last year in his annual township address and looks toward carrying the successes into 2015. “We have and will continue to rebuild our once-crumbling infrastructure,” he said. “There’s more to come and we are doing exactly what we said we would do.” Improvements in 2014 included the paving of 22 miles of roadways, conversion of 4,367 streetlights to LED, addition of water capacity to spur development, and the construction of several new businesses. For 2015, Bristol Township will continue the Croyden streetscape project, pave 24 miles of crumbling roads, rehabilitate the municipal building and public works facility, and upgrade aging traffic lights. For the full address, visitwww.bristoltwp.com.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 2/2/2015

Pennridge School District facing $10 million deficit
The upcoming 2015-16 budget talks in the Pennridge School District will focus on tackling a $10 million deficit. The district is facing large increases in employee retirement contributions, health care costs and debt service, which is driving costs upward. The district faced a similar deficit last year and it raised taxes 1.5 percent above an Act 1 index of 2.1 percent by using retirement exceptions granted by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The 3.6 percent tax increase amounted to a $137.38 increase to the average homeowner’s tax bill for a property assessed at $30,430. The board has yet to decide whether to apply for exceptions for 2015-16, or how it will go about cutting costs throughout the district, according to district Business Administrator Kathy Johnson. A special board meeting has been scheduled for Feb. 12 at 7:30 p.m. at Pennridge High School, 1228 N. Fifth St., East Rockhill, where the board is scheduled to approve a preliminary budget.
Source: The Reporter; 2/2/2015

Bensalem schools preliminary budget includes $63 tax hike
The Bensalem School Board recently voted to approve a preliminary budget with a 1.9 percent tax increase. The preliminary budget includes a $3.1 million budget deficit. Under the proposed plan, the tax millage rate would rise to 151.7994 mills for a total tax bill of $3,400 on a home with an average assessment of $22,400, roughly $63 more than last year. The proposed tax increase would bring in about $1.66 million, leaving a deficit of $1.44 million to be covered. However, nothing is final and numbers will remain preliminary as the business department discusses different options. A budget work session is scheduled for Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. at the district office, 3000 Donallen Dr. in Bensalem. Adoption of the proposed final budget is set for May 13, and the final budget adoption is scheduled for June 17. Details of the budget can be found at www.bensalemsd.org.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 1/28/2015