December 2024

No New Taxes in 2025

No new taxes are needed to continue a high level of quality services to Upper Makefield taxpayers. Upper Makefield's 2025 Budget was unanimously approved by the Board of Supervisors in November. 

Township Manager Dave Nyman credited the Township’s healthy financial position to “prudent financial planning by the Board of Supervisors and the diligence of Township staff, who consistently work to contain costs and reduce overall expenditures.”

Both the Police and Public Works Departments were projected to end 2024 with expenditures under budget. “We are living within our means, while working to provide services at the level expected by our residents, maintaining our positive fund balances and planning for the future with Township-wide capital improvement plans,” Mr. Nyman reports.

Upper Makefield’s primary revenue comes from three sources: A Real Estate Property Tax, plus Earned Income and Real Estate Transfer Taxes that are shared with Council Rock School District.  

Real Estate Property Tax  

Since 2011, Upper Makefield Township’s real estate tax has been reduced to 6.45 mils from a high of 13.3525 mils. The tax rate has remained the same for several years and will remain steady in 2025. The Real Estate Tax is broken down as follows:  

General Fund 5.2  mils 

Fire Fund–0.75 mils 

Building Construction Fund–0.5  mils

TOTAL–6.45 mils 

Earned Income Tax 

The Earned Income Tax is a 1% tax on earned income, wages or net profits. It is divided equally between Upper Makefield and the Council Rock School District. The EIT is budgeted to collect $4,750,000 in 2025. 

Real Estate Transfer Tax 

Upper Makefield Township receives ½ of the 1% of the value of all real estate that transfers ownership. This line item is estimated to bring in approximately $700,000 in 2025. 

School and County Taxes

Upper Makefield Township property owners also pay Council Rock School taxes and Bucks County taxes. To see how your tax bill breaks down, where those dollars go, and to view the 2025 Budget, please view our website.

Open Space Debt PAID

In more good Township financial news, Upper Makefield’s $31 million bond for the purchase of Open Space, first approved by voters in 1996, was fully paid off this year.

Since the bond was issued, numerous land investments have led to one of the Township’s greatest sources of pride: Nearly 40 percent of land (38.01%) in Upper Makefield is permanently preserved and protected from development.

View a map of Upper Makefield’s Open Space Inventory.

The Township’s only remaining debt is for the police building construction: Just under $123,000 remains and will be satisfied in 2025.

Protect Yourself from Porch Pirates

Porch package theft is a year-round scourge, and it increases during the holiday season. The Upper Makefield Police Department offers these tips to keep porch pirates from ruining your holidays: 

1. Install security cameras and/or a doorbell camera, which may thwart any scoundrel’s efforts or at least capture their dastardly deeds so that the police can use those images to identity the culprits.  

2. If possible, request a signature upon delivery so your packages will never be left unattended. 

3. Have the package(s) delivered to an alternate location, such as: A Post Office box, an Amazon locker or even your workplace.

4. Establish and confirm a good partnership with a neighbor who is willing to retrieve the packages after they are delivered and keep them at their residence until you return home. You can do the same for them! 

5. Finally, if you see any suspicious activity, persons or vehicles, notify the police immediately. Porch pirates are known to follow delivery drivers through neighborhoods. Shortly after the delivery is made, they will come back and steal your packages. 

Prepare Now for Safe Winter Roadways 

As winter nears, the Upper Makefield Public Works crew wants you to know who plows which roads and their plowing priorities. In addition, you can speed these crews along by clearing and marking your property at its roadway edges.  

Road plowing is divided between Upper Makefield Township Public Works (56 miles) and PennDOT crews (13 miles). Our Public Works Department plows Township roads and also has an agreement to help with certain State roads. Check below for a list. Plowing plans prioritize the region’s most heavily traveled roads first before clearing neighborhoods, and teams work throughout a storm or until all roads are clear. Contact PennDOT at 215-345-6060. The Public Works Department line is 215-968-3314. For all emergencies, always call 9-1-1.  

What to do now 

• Check the stability of your mailbox.
• Trim trees at the curbline back to a minimum 12 feet high so plow trucks can get close to the curb.
• If your development lacks curbs, please mark your lawn with 4-foot posts (and reflective markers, if possible), approximately 2 feet from the road’s edge. 

When snow is in the forecast 

Because pretreatment helps clear roads faster, please take these steps before expected snow falls.  

• Do not park on the roadway when a snowfall of 4 inches or more is expected.  
• Remove trash cans and other objects from the roadway. 

After the snow falls 

When shoveling your driveway or walkways, do not push or plow snow from driveways onto the roadway. 

PennDot/Township plowing responsibilities

To report a plowing concern, first know who is responsible for plowing which roads.  

PennDOT maintains these State roads within Upper Makefield: 

• Dolington Road 
• Route 32 
• Route 532 
• Route 232 
• Pineville Road 
• Street Road from Lurgan Road to Solebury Township Line 
• Stoopville Road 
• Taylorsville Road 

Upper Makefield provides winter maintenance and plows these State roads under contract with PennDOT. Maintenance may be managed differently in each location. 

• Wrightstown Road 
• Stoneybrook Road 
• Eagle Road 
• Lurgan Road 

Washington Crossing Bridge Study Underway

Website Launched

The future of the Washington Crossing Bridge is now under environmental review. You can learn more at a new website published by the Joint Toll Bridge Commission, which hired HDR Engineering of Philadelphia to conduct an up to $8 million, multi-year environmental review of the 119-year-old Bridge.

Earlier studies declared the bridge “functionally obsolete.” Because it was built before cars were common, the bridge is narrow and has weight restrictions. This environmental review, according to the Joint Toll Bridge Commission news release, “could help determine whether the 119-year-old weight-restricted operationally challenged Washington Crossing Toll-Supported Bridge should be replaced.”

The Township Board of Supervisors this spring expressed concern that the impact of a possible bridge replacement could set up numerous public safety concerns, financial impacts and quality of life issues that Upper Makefield Township would shoulder. At the same time, the Supervisors authorized work by consultant Jeff Marshall, principal of Open Spaces & Historic Places LLC, to update information on the Bridge’s eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The bridge was determined eligible for listing in 1985.

The Board of Supervisors attends the monthly meetings of the Joint Toll Bridge Commission and encourages residents to attend as well, either virtually or in person, to stay apprised and provide input. The meeting schedule is posted online.

Calendar

December 25, 2024–Reenactment of Washington Crossing the Delaware at Washington Crossing Historic Park.

Township Offices Closed for the Holidays:

• December 24, 2024
• December 25, 2024
• January 1, 2025

January 6, 2025–Reorganization Meeting of Board of Supervisors, 7:30 p.m.