Our Successes
The quality of life in Warrington improved significantly during the five- year period (2018-2024) that Democrats ran the township. Our successes improved the quality of life for families living here. We applied for and received grants to help us make many improvements. Your tax dollars were well managed by the Democrats. Some of our major accomplishments are below.
Lions Pride Park
The Republicans only saw a pile of dirt they could utilize as a line item to hide money in the budget. Residents only saw abandoned day camp structures that were rapidly becoming hazardous.
The Democrats saw an opportunity to develop an award-winning and inclusive playground and recreation area for Warrington families. Working with the Lion’s Club and dedicated community members, our coalition transformed that humble pile of dirt and the dilapidated buildings into an innovative public space on the project! Funding came from generous grants, gifts and in-kind donations.
The Republicans continue to trash this incredible township amenity.
Grants for Open Space, Wetlands, and Improvements
The Warrington community appreciates open space, trails, parks and recreation. Many of the these amenities were funded through open space grants that allowed the township to:
Expand our trails network.
Improve Lower Nike Park
Build needed infrastructure
Since 2012 we were able to complete many township improvement projects with grant money that we applied for, including:
Police Station -$1 million
Community Room- $500,00
Multimodal police station road- $270,00
Electric Vehicle -$7,500
Palomino Farms Basin Modification—$550,000
Palomino Stream Channel Stabilization—$150,000
Additional Monies for Mill Creek Preserve—$15,000
Work with Neshaminy Watershed Association—$10,000
European Water Chestnut Seed Pod Control Project (L.P. Pond Con.)—$8,040
Statesman Basin—$6,685
New Police Building
After much study and discussion, the Democratic Board of Supervisors Democrats replaced the township’s outdated police station with a new, state-of-the art facility that opened in 2024. Governor Josh Shapiro and Pa. Rep. Brian Munroe toured the accredited building on September 3 to express their support and appreciation for the township’s dedicated police and emergency services staff.
The new facility includes a $300,000 overhang that was built to protect police cars that pull into the secure area of the police station (on the side of the building behind the fence) to protect them from adverse weather while downloading their video cameras. Solar panels placed on the overhang will result in cost savings for years to come. Republicans like to say the solar panels cost $300,000. Nope. Just more disinformation. That figure represents the approximate cost of the entire overhang.
During this period, the Board implemented a program to bring the Police Department up to FBI-recommended staffing standards and the Police Department was finally accredited by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Additional support of the Police Department during the period included implementing a two person K-9 unit for Search and Rescue, Narcotics Identification and Explosive Detection, as well as joining with the County and the Warminster Township Police Department in creating a Co-responder program to follow up on Mental Health and Domestic abuse problems identified by police officers.
Sale of Water & Sewer System
Warrington Township depended upon a well system for drinking water. When Water Department staff completed an asset inventory of the well system, they determined that it would cost several million dollars to bring it up to standards. An investigation found that it would be fiscally prudent to sell the water and sewer systems. Proposals were solicited from both publicly traded Corporations (Aqua America, Pennsylvania American, etc.) and quasi-governmental Authorities (Bucks County Water and Sewer and North Wales Water). Township residents were notified by mail. More than 20 public meetings were held, both at night and in the afternoon, to ensure we received representative opinions on the sale.
In the end, the Democratic Board of Supervisors sold the drinking water system to the North Wales Water Authority and the sewer system to the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority. Both had the capacity in personnel and resources to ensure the maintenance necessary to maintain the systems for the future.
As a result, residents did not have a water bill for three years. The proceeds from the sale allowed the township to operate without raising taxes during the Covid-crisis. Warrington’s capital reserves also were strengthened.
Taxes and other Financial Concerns
Residents understand that taxes are needed to provide services, but they want that revenue to be managed well. Here’s how the Democrats managed your tax dollars:
The Township Finance Department developed a “model” using separate funds for each Department and major project. The model documents where every taxpayer penny was being spent.
The Administration when then able to identify budget overcharges and make corrections. When Republicans gained the majority on the Board in 2024, they scrapped this system within a month and installed a far simpler system where no one could determine where the funds were being spent.
Democrats did not raise taxes in 2020-2021 as residents dealt with Covid-related issues. The proceeds from the sale of the water and sewer systems allowed the township to operate without raising taxes during the Covid-crisis. Warrington’s capital reserves also were strengthened.
In 2023, the Democratic majority passed a 3-mil increase leaving the incoming Republican Board sufficient funds to operate, but not enough to fund their pet projects such as rebuilding the Mary Barness Community Swimming Pool, which is used by less than 10% of township residents. Although township residents would like to see potholes repaired, the Republicans have recently spent $65,000 repaving the parking lot at the Mary Barness swimming pool. They anticipate spending millions more in repairs and replacement of this 65-year-old facility.
Democrats applied for and received $5 million dollars in federal, state and county grants, thanks to our dedicated grants administrator. Despite her 20 years of experience and personal relationships with staff at the various agencies responsible for influencing or issuing grants, the Republicans demoted her to receptionist. She resigned.
Why Democratic Management is Better
During the five years the Democrats controlled the board of supervisors, they:
Limited the building of big box stores by adopting amendments to local ordinances.
Passed ordinances to control development.
Solved contaminated water problems.
Created a cost-saving climate action plan.
Increased Open Space at no cost to the township.
Built a new community building in Lions Pride Park.
Democrats Let the Sunshine In
Township residents were kept informed about developments in Warrington through the quarterly township Link magazine mailed to every home and a monthly electronic newsletter. Republicans discontinued the Link purportedly to save money even though the advertising revenue made the publication cash neutral. They promised to publish it online but have not done so.
Democrats provided a Zoom link so residents could watch supervisors’ twice monthly meetings from the comfort of their homes. The Republicans wanted to abolish using Zoom, but later relented to protests and kept it. They moved the time for the public to express their concerns from the beginning of the meetings to the end of the meetings, forcing residents to stay through the entire business meeting. In addition, they have cut their public meetings to just one per month, highly unusual for a township this size. (In an effort to appear frugal, they also discontinued offering candy and water to visitors and meeting attendees.) Democrats held supervisor meetings twice monthly and issues were discussed openly. Republicans in Warrington hold only one meeting per month and it’s sometimes completed in less than an hour. So where is business being conducted?
Republicans Waste Our Tax Dollars
In their futile effort to find a campaign issue this year, the Republican Board engaged Bee Bergvall, a Warrington accounting firm, to audit the township’s financial recordkeeping going back to 2018. Far from finding irregularities the Republicans hoped to uncover, the auditor found that all financial records were in order. The Republicans wasted $55,000 of taxpayer funds for this fishing expedition. Township finances were audited every year by a public accounting firm, so this expense was unnecessary.
During the years Democrats managed the township, employee turnover was low. Since the Republicans took over the township in 2024, they lost the township manager, assistant township manager, financial director, zoning officer, and the grants writer who had secured $5 million for us over xx years. Why did she leave? Because they wanted to move her into the position of receptionist.
Turnover is expensive. For instance, the new township manager was hired at a salary significantly higher than the previous one who knew the Township. She was furnished with a brand-new executive-type vehicle as opposed to using the six-month old previous one.
Democrats were proven to be excellent stewards of the budget. A previous Republican Board claimed as an asset a pile of soil valued at $700,000 to balance the budget. The pile was later appraised at about $30,000. Today the pile is “Kids Mountain” at Lion’s Pride Park.