For the first time in over a decade, Franklin Township residents will pay more for municipal taxes.

Township supervisors on a 2-0 vote Tuesday adopted the 2025 budget with a 1-mill increase that will raise the township’s millage rate from 7.64 to 8.64 mills.

Supervisor Leroy Kemmerer Jr. was absent.

Before the vote, resident Jill Renfrew said she had several questions about the budget.

“First of all, I wanted to thank you for the hard work, because putting together a budget for anybody can be very extensive, so thank you for all the meetings that you had,” Renfrew said. “Also for trying to involve some of the people who are residents of Franklin Township.”

Renfrew asked if the township was planning to restart the recycling program.

Board Chairman Fred Kemmerer Jr. said the township lost its dumping spot several years ago.

“As you know, recycling is more expensive than garbage, and it’s something that’s going to take a lot of effort on our part to try to figure out,” Kemmerer said. “I will say that we have the steps in place to get to that, we have an area up behind the township building that’s been cleaned out and it’s better than ever, so as far as a spot to put it, we’re on the right track.

Kemmerer added the key is to “make sure it’s not so costly that our residents are getting beat up. “It’s something that’s in the back of our minds to try to get to that point.”

Supervisor Robin Cressley echoed Kemmerer’s thoughts.

“It’s just so expensive,” Cressley said.

Overall, Kemmerer said the township is fortunate in many respects.

“I would say we are the most affordable garbage in the whole county,” Kemmerer said. “And we’re proud of that.”

Renfrew wondered if the township can’t do it for all residents, is there a way to do a voluntary program with a dumpster behind a fence rather than out in public.

“I’d be interested in having the township work toward that,” Renfrew said. “I think it’s a worthwhile cause.”

Renfrew suggested the township looking at what it’s currently spending and try to focus on areas where it might reduce its expenditures.

“I think the purchase of the garbage truck, for instance, is a good thing, because that will drop your maintenance expenses, obviously we’ve had a lot of breakdowns lately,” Renfrew said. “I didn’t know if there were other focal areas for the board in regard to those expenditures for this year.

Kemmerer said garbage is its own entity and supports itself through payments, and sewer is its own entity.

“The crux of what we do is road maintenance and secretaries and policing, so those are the three main things and then what we provide for the fire company,” Kemmerer said. “We’re fortunate enough to be frugal in our yearly usage that we over budget and then we get to carry some stuff over.

Kemmerer said they want to get to a balanced budget.

“We have good capital plans in place, but they’re not where they need to be,” Kemmerer said. “We’re not exorbitant in what we do in our township, we’re really frugal.”

Renfrew then asked if the township ended up with a balanced budget this year, to which Kemmerer said it’s unbalanced by close to $250,000.

“We’re not eating Filet Mignon here at the township,” he said. “We’re more like hot dogs and boxed mac and cheese.”

Renfrew thanked the township for the work it does on the budget.

“Thank you for your efforts to work through all of those various accounts,” Renfrew said. “(Township secretary) Brenda (Cressley) thank you for all that you do all year long to keep all the expenditures in line so we know what we‘re spending.”

There will be a $30 increase in garbage collection next year.

Regular customers who paid $255 this year will pay $285 next year. The senior rate will not increase and will remain at $170.

Kemmerer said the purpose of the increase in garbage collection is that instead of it taking 15 years to replace garbage trucks under its current system, this would move that process to about seven to eight years.

Cressley previously said the township’s oldest truck is 2009.

Kemmerer noted that even with an increase, the township is the cheapest in the county.

Cressley said that a garbage truck costs almost $300,000.

Kemmerer said that it’s because of the deficit the township had between income and expenses for next year’s budget that the budget requires a 1-mill increase.

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