UPPER POTTSGROVE— COMMENTARY: In order to raise taxes, the Upper Pottsgrove Board of Commissioners is now seeking to reopen the already-approved 2026 budget, which included no tax increase for residents.
At the meeting, new Board President Albert Leach opened the meeting by stating that he did not understand how to read the approved budget. Unfortunately, that lack of understanding became apparent throughout the discussion. As he discussed the budget, Leach wove in accusative comments regarding the previous board, and he continued this throughout the meeting. He stated, “Where did two million go?” with no background supporting his comment. Apparently, he hasn’t read any of the audits.
Leach complained that the 2026 budget shows approximately $1.2 million in projected property-tax revenue but no tax collections were made, repeatedly stating, “I guarantee we took more in than zero,” and suggesting that the prior board was somehow responsible. What he failed to grasp is that 2026 tax collections have not occurred yet, so, of course, no revenue has been collected for this year.
Commissioner Elwood Taylor attempted to explain this to him, but Leach continued to insist that it “did not make sense” and repeatedly returned to the same point. Leach also stated that he did not understand how the Township could have spent more than what was budgeted in the prior year. Once again, this reflects a misunderstanding of how municipal finances work.
Townships generally operate with both an operational budget, which covers operational expenses and revenues, and project budgets, such as a building project, which covers items such as designs, land acquisitions, engineering costs, and unexpected legal expenses.
For Upper Pottsgrove Township, the Township building budget was managed by Boyle Construction and was beginning transition to its own fund, but the three new commissioners, Leach, Taylor, and Tyron Robinson, sued the Township before they assumed office, shutting down the project and creating unrecoverable costs. This suit happened eight months after the Township approved the project and authorized the contracts.
Despite this, Leach is now calling for an audit of last year’s spending, apparently unaware that an independent audit is already conducted every year and was ordered last year, as usual. That audit is due shortly. Ordering a second audit would simply waste taxpayer money.
During this same meeting, there was an attempt to raise taxes by a quarter mill, although no clear financial justification was presented. Taylor stated that it is time for Upper Pottsgrove residents to “pay their fair share” and appeared to support the tax increase. Among the items discussed were restoring funding to the Pottstown Library at $30,000, which the township stopped funding years ago at the urging of Commissioner Cathy Paretti, and increasing funding to a non-Township entity on whose board Taylor currently serves. These proposals should be discussed publicly in advance and properly advertised before any action is taken.
Serving on boards that receive township funding is prohibited under Resolution 703 due to conflicts of interest. That resolution exists to protect taxpayers from exactly this type of situation. Taylor should not be advocating for increased funding for an outside organization on whose board he sits. Rather than addressing the conflict, the Board simply rescinded Resolution 703 by a 4–1 vote. Commissioner Waldt voted against rescinding the resolution and was the only one recognizing the serious implications of removing these protections.
It should also be noted that the Township is in the strongest financial position it has ever been in. Upper Pottsgrove currently has approximately $10 million in reserves, earning close to $1,000 per day in interest for the benefit of taxpayers. The township carries no debt, and with careful planning, there is no immediate need to raise taxes, nor any reason not to plan in a way that avoids future increases.
Before raising taxes, the Upper Pottsgrove Journal strongly suggests that someone first explain to Leach how township finances and budgeting actually work. As former Board President Slinkerd often stated, the primary responsibilities of the Board of Commissioners are to keep residents safe and to keep the roads open. Those goals can and should be met without unnecessary tax increases driven by a misunderstanding of basic municipal finances and the self-serving interests of board members.
We can do better.