Richland taxes hold steady in 2025 budget

Richland residents will see their property taxes hold steady for another year, according to the 2025 budget. The Richland board of supervisors voted to pass the proposed 2025 budget at its Dec. 18 meeting.

For 2025, a millage rate of 2.696 mills is levied on all commercial, residential and nonexempt real property. Real estate taxes and sanitary sewer rates are unchanged from 2024.

The general government section of the budget represents about 13% — this section includes administrative staff, legislative, engineering, tax collection and information technology.

The majority of the general fund budget is allocated toward public safety and highways. Public safety accounts for 37% of the 2025 general budget. Highways make up 33% of the general budget.

“Public safety is up a bit based on our cost toward the Northern Regional Police Department. We did include an about 3% increase for the contribution we make to the Richland Volunteer Fire Department as we’ve been doing the last few years,” township Manager Brian O’Malley said.

The police department will receive $2.1 million in 2025, an 11.4% increase from 2024.

Remarking on the highway portion of the budget, O’Malley said, “I’m glad we do the road program the way we do. It makes it much simpler by doing so many miles of road every year instead of letting it accumulate. There’s a cost to inaction always, and that’s something that Richland Township has prided itself on — trying to get to the roads before they’re a problem. I think we’ve done a good job of that for a long time and want to continue.”

The township has designated $1.9 million in funds for the highway capital improvement reserve, a 7.3% increase from 2024. The highway improvement capital reserve fund was established by the board of supervisors to pay for the non-TIF portion of highway improvement projects identified in the township’s highway capital improvement plan.