Perkasie Borough Council faced challenging circumstances as they worked towards a budget for 2025. Borough Council invited feedback and input during several public Special Finance Committee meetings in September and October of 2024, before passing the 2025 budget at their meeting on Monday December 16th, 2025.
Key challenges included:
- Increased cost for capacity for electric (increased from $284,917 in 2024 to $1,010,655 in 2025)
- Menlo Aquatics Center budget shortfall in 2024
- Increased cost for contracted services, including the disposal of trash & recycling
- Contractual obligations including salaries, benefits, healthcare, pension obligations, debt service payments
- Planned capital expenditures, largely grant funded but require commitment of some local dollars
Roughly 77% of annual expenditures are already committed to contractual obligations including salaries, benefits, healthcare, pension obligations, and debt service payments. The remaining 23% is allocated to capital purchases & improvements, contracted services, operational supplies and other smaller operating expenses.
How the budget serves the Borough in 2025:
Despite these challenges, the Borough has a number of beneficial projects planned for 2025, including engineering & design for road improvement projects, recreation facility improvements, and equipment purchases to support the excellent services provided by the Borough.
Each of the Borough’s Department Heads have a professional and strategic management mindset, and are always planning for changes in the future while managing services today. As every year, the 2025 budget allows for dollars to be set aside in a capital fund, to save for planned future equipment purchases.
Perkasie Borough's 2025 budget as adopted is available for review on the Budget page of our website.
Perkasie Borough Electric:
Increases in the costs of wholesale electric capacity costs mean that every electric customer across 13 mid-Atlantic states and Washington DC, regardless of their electric supplier, will see double-digit increases on their electric bills in 2025. Perkasie Borough customers will see an increase of 19% (residential) and 20% (commercial). The impact on the average residential customer is around $28 per month and around $76 per month for commercial customers. New rates will take effect in the February 15th meter reading and be reflected in February bills. More information about the rise in the cost of electricity can be found at our website: https://www.perkasieborough.org/departments/electric-department/rate-hikes/
The Perkasie Borough Electric Company continues to provide excellent, safe, reliable service to our customers. Among other things, a continuing program of pre-emptive tree, transformer and meter maintenance means that the Borough has received numerous awards for our reliability and safety standards, and our customers experience minimal outages.
A 6-year project to replace every electric meter in the Borough is well underway and is expected to be completed in 2026. The 4,000+ new Advanced Metering Technology meters are more energy efficient, more secure, and are already generating savings in Electric Department staff time.
In 2025, the Perkasie Borough Electric Department will purchase a new bucket truck, largely with savings already in the Borough’s Capital fund, and continues to set aside dollars for future equipment purchases to meet the needs of Perkasie’s residential and commercial electric customers.
Perkasie Borough Public Works
Increases in the cost of waste disposal mean that Borough residents will see a rise in the quarterly fee for the trash toter, or the Pay-As-You-Throw trash bags. From January 1st the quarterly toter fee will increase by $5 to $87.50 and bags will increase by $1 to $4.75 (large) and $3.75 (small).
Over the last few years, Perkasie’s Public Works Department has been working to enhance the efficiency of waste disposal operations. In 2024 grant funding from the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) allowed the construction of a new building and the purchase and installation of a new baler to process paper and cardboard. The Borough has realized significant savings in the cost of disposing of paper & cardboard recycling and intend to continue the dual-stream recycling system as a result. The Borough is planning a study, funded by the PA DEP, to analyze other potential changes and cost recovery options.
In 2025 the budget accounts for the purchase of a new trash truck, increasing the reliability, efficiency and safety of collection and a positive impact on environmental emissions. The budget also sets aside funds for the future purchase of a brush hog and flail mower.
Perkasie residents and businesses have seen significant road improvements over recent years as Borough Council has prioritized the upgrade and maintenance of Borough-owned roads. In 2025, the road program turns its focus to the Park Ave Improvement Project, which will create major road and stormwater improvements between Ridge Road and Jefferson Avenue. The project will mill & pave the roadway, add curbing and pedestrian sidewalks and add a new stormwater management system in the roadway. We expect design & engineering to be completed in 2025. The first phase of the project is funded with over $2million in federal Congressional spending, secured with the help of Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick. Borough Council has applied for another $1mill in state funding from the PA Commonwealth Financing Authority Local Share Account (LSA). In total, the Park Avenue Improvement Project is expected to cost over $3mill.
Parks & Recreation:
Borough Council continues to prioritize the improvement of Perkasie’s extensive park system. A major upgrade is coming to Kulp Park on 2nd St as staff move forward on the rehabilitation of the baseball field. The project funded with almost $900,000 in grant funding from the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and the PA Commonwealth Financing Authority Local Share Account (LSA), and local Park & Rec development impact fees. The project will create a new baseball field, add lighting, visitor and ADA parking and pathways. Work is expected to begin in the summer of 2025.
The skate park in Lenape Park got a facelift in 2024, when ARPA (Covid-19 relief) funds were used to mill and pave the asphalt and to replace some of the skate ramps. An additional $50,482 in improvements to the park are planned for 2025, primarily funded by ARPA funds and local dollars.
Streambank Stabilization is planned along the Pleasant Spring Creek, which will reduce sediment by 10% in this part of the East Branch Perkiomen Creek storm watershed.
The South Perkasie Historic Covered Bridge in Lenape Park is finally due for rehabilitation. Since it was damaged by the remnants of Hurricane Ida in September 2021, Borough staff have been working with FEMA to secure disaster relief funding for its repair. The Borough secured almost $500,000 in FEMA funding, along with $100,000 in a PA Keystone Historic Preservation Grant, and the Perkasie Historical Society fundraised over $100,000 to pay for the rehabilitation, which will also mitigate against future flood risk . At the time of writing, engineering and design is underway, and construction is scheduled to begin in 2025.
Perkasie is home to a number of well-loved community events, including America’s Oldest Tree Lighting, first held in 1909. Special events are designed to support economic development, bringing customer to small businesses in town and visitors to enjoy what Perkasie has to offer. Borough staff secured up to $25,000 in funding from the PA DCED to update the economic development plan in 2025; the plan was last updated in 2014 as part of the Borough’s Comprehensive Plan.
Membership fees at the Menlo Aquatics Center will rise by 4% in 2025, although purchasers will receive an early-bird discount if they buy a membership before March 31st. Members can look forward to a wide range of new and exciting programming in 2025, including private birthday party rental areas, dive and scuba lessons, adaptive aquatics and instructor training. Feedback from pool patrons has led to new member benefits, including extended opening hours for toddler play, and more evening special events.
The 2025 budget also allows for the replacement of two end-of-life pool pumps.
Perkasie Borough Police Department
The Perkasie Borough Police Department is proud to serve the communities of Perkasie and Sellersville Boroughs. The Department is constantly focused on crime response and reduction, the safety of residents and is proud of their approach to community policing. The Department adjusts to respond to complaints and current issues as needed. The purchase and use of speed box machines in 2024, for example, has supported an increased focus on traffic control.
The Police Department plans to replace their body and in-car camera systems in 2025. The new Axon system provides additional functionality like in-car license plate readers. The initial cost of the replacement is just over $108,000, $107,000 of which is funded by a PA LSA grant. New body armor, funded with $6,000 from the federal Patrick Leahy Bullet Proof Vest Program, also be replaced in 2025.
The Police Department is deriving enormous benefits from the implementation of the Civilian Community Relations Specialist Co-responder program. A new position, the Civilian Community Relations Specialist (CCRS) provides leadership and resources to victims of crime, the community, schools, police department employees, and other organizations in support of the police department’s community partnership initiatives. The position is fully funded for 2 years by the PA Bryne State Crisis Intervention Program (SCIP). The CCRS works alongside a County Co-Responder. The Co-Responder supports a number of municipalities in Bucks County, is a Bucks County employee, and is based in the Perkasie Police Department offices. These individuals provide victim advocacy, attend court proceedings, present crime prevention educational sessions, attend community events, and partner with the Community to provide Mobile Crisis Intervention and Provider Referral Services.
Revo, the Police Depatment K-9 is 11 years old, and will retire in 2025 for health and medical reasons. His replacement, when the time comes, will be funded with existing and projected donations from Perkasie’s generous community. The support of the PD K-9 program is a testament to the value the community sees in the services provided by the brave officers of the Perkasie PD.
