Franklin Township supervisors on Tuesday revoked a motion from last month to do away with a previously approved tax increase.

Supervisors on a 2-0 vote Tuesday rescinded the action to withdraw the 1-mill tax increase that was approved for this year’s budget. Supervisor Leroy Kemmerer Jr. was absent.

Last month, new Supervisor Jason Frey proposed the motion to rescind the tax. The board approved it on a 2-0 vote, with one abstention.

Frey, the newly appointed chairman, and Leroy Kemmerer Jr., newly named vice chairman, voted in favor.

Supervisor Fred Kemmerer Jr., who began last month’s meeting as board chairman, abstained from the vote because he wasn’t certain of the legality of such a move.

Frey said then he thought the increase was wrong when the board had a $500,000 surplus, and then proposed that it eliminate the 1-mill tax increase that had previously been approved for this year.

But, township solicitor Tom Nanovic said at last month’s meeting that by not having the matter on the agenda, he wasn’t sure if the board could take such action.

Resident Ty Poole said at last month’s meeting he wouldn’t see where anyone in the township would be upset if the board were able to eliminate the tax increase.

Regardless, Nanovic said, “It’s about doing things the right way.”

Resident Jill Renfrew said she protested that the board was taking all of these actions without the items being listed on last month’s meeting agenda.

Renfrew added that if she was a resident who was not in attendance at that meeting, she would be upset that these matters were being acted on without their prior knowledge.

Melissa Melewsky, Pennsylvania NewsMedia attorney, contacted after last month’s meeting, agreed.

“A tax increase, or the repeal of one, cannot be added to the agenda during a public meeting. It’s not an emergency, and it is not de minimis, so at most, council could have voted to add it to the agenda for the next meeting for discussion and action.”

Renfrew added that she didn’t believe that a $500,000 surplus is exorbitant for the township.

Frey said that following last month’s meeting, he had spoken with the township’s tax collector who has already done all the work to print out everyone’s taxes that are going to be mailed out.

“Instead of making her do the work to redo everything and get them prepared and sent out and cost the taxpayers’ money, we are going to at the next meeting rescind that motion and the taxes will remain at the same rate as was passed in December,” Frey said. “The budget they passed (in December for this year) will remain the same, but at the end of this year when we get to budget time, we will address the 1-mill tax increase, we will do away with that 1-mill increase at that time for the 2026 budget.

“We were too late with doing it (by the time Frey got appointed last month to fill the vacant seat) for this year so the people of Franklin are still going to have to absorb the 1-mill increase. “We will address it for 2026.”

In December, the former board of supervisors adopted the 2025 budget with a 1-mill increase that raised the township’s millage rate from 7.64 to 8.64 mills.

Leroy Kemmerer Jr. was absent from that meeting.

As part of the budget, there is a $30 increase in garbage collection.

Regular customers who paid $255 in 2024 will pay $285 this year. The senior rate didn’t increase and will remain at $170.

This is the first tax increase in the township since 2010, when taxes were raised by 1.5 mills.