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Rush Township tax hike to help fund recycling facility

Rush Township property owners will see a 1-mill jump in their taxes for 2025.

The increase will be in effect for a period of one year, and was added for the creation of an organic recycling facility.

Township supervisors approved the tax increase for the facility, along with a resolution establishing the upcoming year’s millage rate at 6.62 mills, on 2-1 votes at Thursday’s meeting.

Voting in favor of both motions were Chairman Shawn Gilbert and Vice chairman Robert Leibensperger. Supervisor George Gerhard voted against both.

All the supervisors, however, voted to adopt the spending plan.

This is the first time the township has had a tax increase in 17 years.

The budget sees general fund millage remain at 3.21 mills, with the fire fund at 0.41 mills, and infrastructure fund at 1.5 mills. The 1-mill increase was added to the building fund, causing it to jump to 1.50 mills from 0.5 mill.

“It’s just for one year,” Gilbert said.

As for the proposed organic recycling facility, it is still in the planning phase.

In June, the board purchased about 10 acres of land for the proposed facility at 54 Progress Ave. in the Tidewood Industrial Park for $160,000.

The supervisors had originally planned to have the facility at 609 Claremont Ave. but said that readying the uneven land would have been too costly.

The township sold that 4.5-acre site to a high bidder for $60,000.

Leibensperger said plans are to have the recycling facility readied by 2026.

It will be a secure site and will include equipment like a heavy timber grinder capable of tackling large branches and stumps.

“DEP (Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection) requires that disposal has to be done in a certain way,” Leibensperger said.

Residents will be able to drop off grass clippings at the center when it opens, he said, and then be able to drop off other organic matter as the site is developed.

“Everything, eventually — except for leaves,” Leibensperger said. “Leaves cannot be brought on-site because they have to be pre-ground, and there is a specific disposal method that we do.”

Leaves, along with small branches, are currently collected by township crews in spring and fall. Leibensperger expects that will continue.

“We’ve been working on it for a while,” Gilbert said of the organic recycling site.