Budget Battle In Lower Milford Township

In an effort to balance the budget, the  is debating whether to cut one full-time police officer or two part-time police officers.

Residents voiced strong opinions at the Dec. 2 Supervisors workshop meeting about the possibility of losing the security of a fully staffed police force.

The board is expected to vote  on the budget at the next meeting, Dec. 16 at 7:30 p.m.

"If you lay off the part-time (police officers), how will we protect the schools?" said  Jeffrey Tapler, a 20-year resident and former police chief of Lower Milford.

Members of the board disagreed.

"I don't think it is safe to worry residents about their schools. If there's a real emergency at the school, whether it's Lower Milford, or a close municipality, you better bet the police will beat tail to get there," said Donna Wright, co-chair of the board.

When asked if other avenues for generating revenue - like raising taxes - had been addressed, the board commented on the complexities of raising taxes in the township.

"I can't go home and tell my husband I just raised his taxes," Wright said.

In other news, with the budget tight in Lower Milford, the board of supervisors had to turn down a request from the Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy for a donation.

has found a new home for an old book drop at the Lower Milford Municipal Building.

Due to the high use of its current book drop, the Southern Lehigh Public Library installed a new, larger book drop, which left them with the current book drop.

"It's smaller, but it's in good condition. Because Lower Milford is the farthest municipality to the library, we thought the community could use it," said Arthur Roth, a representative from Southern Lehigh Public Library.

The book drop will be installed at the municipal building as a drive-up drop by public library volunteers. Staff members for Southern Lehigh Public Library will come twice a week to pick up media that was dropped there.

Ed Matulzvicius, a previous board member expressed concern about the location of the book drop. "When I was on the board, we had a vandalism problem, so I think it would be best that it's placed in a well-lit area," he said. The book drop will be added to the municipal building grounds at no cost to the municipality.

Residents looking to become more involved in Lower Milford's government had their chance to submit for positions at the Dec. 2 Board of Supervisors meeting in Lower Milford Township.

Old business addressed included approval of additional monies for the Limeport Waste Order Facility as well as additional money for HVAC upkeep.