Tax hike proposed in 2026 Newtown Township budget for fire and EMS – Bucks Round-Up – December 4, 2025
Tax hike proposed in 2026 Newtown Township budget for fire and EMS
Newtown Township supervisors are preparing to vote December 10 on a 2026 budget that avoids a general-fund tax hike but raises real estate taxes by four mills to support fire and EMS services. The $18.9 million spending plan reflects slow revenue growth and rising operating costs, leaving a projected structural deficit of $3.23 million. Township Manager Micah Lewis noted that Newtown has long relied on strong year-end fund balances to plug recurring gaps, but warned that approach may not be sustainable as reserves trend downward. Most of next year’s revenue — about $8.4 million — will come from local enabling taxes. The draft budget funds a new full-time IT director and a part-time HR director but defers additional police, fire, zoning, and public works staffing that departments say is needed. A three-mill increase is earmarked for the fire protection fund to cover expiring grant support for four firefighter positions and to continue contributions toward future apparatus purchases. Another mill would go to the ambulance fund at the request of Newtown Ambulance Squad as it manages rising costs. For the average assessed home, the combined four-mill hike represents roughly $157 annually. Road paving remains below the ideal pace for maintaining the township’s 71-mile network, but the budget restores a $350,000 construction line and calls for repaving 1.85 miles next year. Capital purchases include police vehicles, speed signs, a Ford F750 dump truck, and structural work on the South Drive Bridge. Lewis cautioned that while the township avoided a general-fund increase this year, future tax adjustments may be necessary as reserves shrink.
State court OKs quarry in Springfield Township
A three-judge panel of the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court affirmed a lower court decision in favor of a proposed quarry on the eastern side of Route 309 in Springfield Township just below the Lehigh County border. The panel found that the creation of the quarry under conditional use would not have a harmful effect on area residents. The judges rejected the argument made by local residents opposed to the quarry that site operator H&K did not provide the township with the required environmental impact assessment. Members of the panel decided that the company’s testimony and documents concerning impacts on traffic, noise, groundwater, and air quality satisfied the requirement.
Jury finds sex offender guilty of child sex abuse in Bucks County
A Bucks County jury this week convicted a New Jersey sex offender of assaulting a ten-year-old girl in Morrisville. Derrick Wyche, 58, was found guilty of indecent assault of a child under thirteen and corruption of minors following a two-day trial. The assault occurred in September 2024 at the victim’s home. Investigators said the girl was visibly distraught during her forensic interview. Wyche, already a registered sex offender, was detained in New Jersey after the allegations surfaced. Sentencing will occur at a later date.
County bids farewell to Solicitor Amy Fitzpatrick
Bucks County government bids farewell to Solicitor Amy Fitzpatrick, who attended her final meeting of the Bucks County Board of Commissioners meeting Wednesday. Fitzpatrick, a Democrat, was elected as Judge to the Court of Common Pleas in the 7th Judicial District in the November election. Fitzpatrick received praise for her work as she prepares to join the bench. Bucks County Commissioner Chair Bob Harvie (D) credited Fitzpatrick for her work as the county’s solicitor. “It would not surprise me at some point if we find out that she has been named to a federal bench, she is that deserving, she is that dedicated and that bright.” Bucks County Chief Operating Officer Margie McKevitt echoed those statements. “We’ve appreciated your time, your talent and your expertise, your professionalism and we know you will extend that on the bench; we will miss you,” McKevitt said. Fitzpatrick commented on her time as county solicitor at Wednesday’s meeting. “It has been an honor of a lifetime to serve our community as county solicitor, the first female to do so, and it has been an absolute pleasure to be a partner and of service to our incredible public servants who work day in and day out to improve the lives of those in our community.” Fitzpatrick joined the Bucks County Law Department in 2020 and was appointed Bucks County solicitor by a unanimous and bipartisan vote of the Bucks County Board of Commissioners on March 15, 2023.
Joe LeCompte hosts LeCompte in the Morning on WBCB 1490. Bradley Vasoli is the senior editor of The Independence.
