Funding the Basics: Are We Getting What We Pay For?
Let’s take a closer look at the taxes you pay to fund Morrisville Borough operations. Of the total taxes that that property owners pay, only a small percentage actually goes directly to the Borough of Morrisville — and that portion funds the services we rely on every day.
If you own a home, you're paying it directly. If you rent, your landlord includes it in what you pay. Either way, these taxes help pay for:
• Police and fire protection
• Emergency medical services
• Trash pickup and snow removal
• Street maintenance and repairs
• Stormwater management, flood protection
• Upkeep of public buildings and parks
• Basic government operations
• Staffing of Borough departments
These aren’t optional services. They are the nuts and bolts of everyday life in a small town. And when they’re underfunded, we all feel it — in slower response times, neglected roads, reduced safety, and community spaces that fall into disrepair.
What Happened in 2022
By 2022, Morrisville was in financial crisis. The Borough was scraping by. Essential services like the police department and public works were stretched thin. Our public library was at risk of losing funding. Maintenance of public buildings was falling behind. There was no money to consider future initiatives. If not for the American Rescue Plan money, Borough Hall would have continued to crumble.
Instead of acknowledging the problem and working toward long-term solutions, some current Council members were willing to starve these services. Their approach was to avoid raising revenue and hope for the best. But ignoring a funding crisis doesn’t make it go away.
Enter the Earned Income Tax (EIT)
A solution was on the table: the Earned Income Tax (EIT). Morrisville was one of the few local municipalities that didn’t have one, and that meant we were missing out on a source of revenue that many residents were already paying — to other towns, simply because of where they worked.
Here’s why the EIT made sense:
• It’s a progressive tax, based on what people earn, not what they own
• Retirees and seniors on fixed incomes don’t pay it — Social Security and pensions are exempt
• It reduces the pressure on property taxes, which hit working-class and elderly homeowners the hardest
• It allowed the Borough to stabilize financially and start looking toward the future
Thanks to the EIT, the Borough was able to cover immediate shortfalls. In 2023, the money was used responsibly — and the public was told what it was paying for. In 2024, $750,000 was set aside in a capital reserve fund, creating a much-needed cushion for future infrastructure needs and emergencies.
The Bottom Line
Your Borough taxes aren’t just numbers on a bill. They fund the daily services that make Morrisville livable. And the EIT gave us a way to fund them more fairly — protecting seniors and shifting some of the burden off property owners.
In future posts, we’ll look at what’s happened since: how that money is being spent, whether the public is being kept informed, and why some officials who opposed the EIT now spend it freely — with little transparency or cohesive plan.
Because it’s not enough to raise revenue. We need to make sure it’s being handled responsibly.
