Residents in Lower Towamensing Township will once again see no property tax increase next year.

By a unanimous measure, the township's board of supervisors agreed on Tuesday to adopt the 2014 budget with no millage increase, which will leave the property tax rate unchanged at 1.6 mills.That means a person whose home is valued at $100,000, and would be assessed at $50,000, will again pay $80 to the township in property taxes next year.As part of next year's budget, township employees will receive a 2.5-percent salary increase, which Supervisor Ron Walbert said is warranted."I think our employees do a good job, and we made some provisions to buy some equipment," Walbert said. "I think it's a fair budget; a good budget overall."Supervisors Chairman Brent Green added, "We operate within our means of what we bring in."Revenues are at $2,524,025, while expenditures are at $715,856, which leaves a surplus of $1,808,169.Incident revisitedDuring the public comment portion of the meeting, resident Herman Bollinger took supervisors to task over a situation that occurred following the board's August 13 meeting.Bollinger told supervisors that the morning after that meeting, "I had a stranger on my porch."That stranger, Bollinger said, was a state police officer."He told me there's going to be an 'X' by my name," Bollinger said. "Do you know anything about it?Green told Bollinger, "We called state police to tell them what happened at the (Aug. 13) meeting."The call supervisors made to state police was done as a precaution due to the incident that occurred in Ross Township earlier that month, Green said.At the Ross Township board of supervisors meeting on Aug. 5, three people were killed while the meeting was in progress at the Ross Township Municipal Building.One week later, at Lower Towamensing's Aug. 13 meeting, Green took exception to remarks made by Bollinger after he made a reference to Ross Township.Bollinger admitted to supervisors that he did make a reference to Ross Township, but added, "You people took me way wrong.""I want to have that 'X' off my back," Bollinger said. "One of you guys helped to put the 'X' on my back."Green then told Bollinger, "Nobody placed an 'X' on your back. It was discussed after the (Aug. 13) meeting."Bollinger then reiterated, "I want paperwork that that 'X' is off my name."In other business, supervisors:• Granted a demolition permit fee waiver request to the Aquashicola FireCompany, which will enable them to demolish the twin building they purchased several years ago.• Agreed to advertisefor adoption, several changes to the township's recreation board ordinance concerning rules and regulations.• Agreed to hold a Christmas party for both the township, as well as Towamensing Township, to be held at the Lower Towamensing Township Municipal Building on Friday, Dec. 13.