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Bristol Township officials are asking council to double the municipal earned income tax to 1 percent for 2027, and they made the pitch at Thursday night’s meeting. About 70 percent of township residents would see no change in their total local tax bill, because they already pay at least that rate where they work.

Seven Days in Bucks

Bristol Township floats a 1 percent earned income tax
Officials want the rate raised from 0.5 percent to 1 percent, paired with a possible millage cut and waivers for income-eligible residents. The township runs on a $76.3 million budget and says rising operating costs will open gaps the current rate cannot cover.

New questions in the Officer Shane Seiber case
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said alleged misconduct by officers helped sink a 2019 murder case against the man now charged in Seiber’s killing, according to a LevittownNow report. Seiber was a Philadelphia officer; public viewings are set for Oct. 19 and 20, and Gov. Josh Shapiro ordered state flags lowered to half-staff.

PA-01 shows a dead heat as ad spending climbs
A poll from Global Strategy Group, a Democratic research firm, put Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and challenger Bob Harvie at 46 percent each, as reported by the Bucks County Beacon. We have not independently confirmed the $13.8 million advertising total and are checking FEC and FCC filings.

A generic drug settlement could put money back in local pockets
Pennsylvania joined 45 states and territories seeking court approval of settlements with Ascend Laboratories, Mayne Pharma and Citron Pharma. Anyone who bought generic prescription drugs between May 2009 and December 2019 can check eligibility at AGGenericDrugs.com or by calling 1-866-290-0182.

The sheriff phone scam resurfaces
A resident described a voicemail that used their full name and claimed to come from the Bucks County Sheriff’s Office, days after a county scam warning went out. The account came through a Reddit post, so verify any such call using the office’s published number before you respond to it.

On the Calendar

Saturday carries almost all of this week’s outdoor programming, and Sunday thins out fast.

• Saturday, Oct. 17 – Historic Bristol Day, Market and Radcliffe streets, Bristol Borough. House tour and tea tickets run $15 through the Bristol Cultural and Historical Foundation. A car show at Snyder-Girotti School runs alongside it.
• Saturday, Oct. 17, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Autumn Alive!, downtown Quakertown. Rain date is Oct. 24.
• Saturday, Oct. 17, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. – The Craftery Market at the Mercer Museum, Doylestown. Free.
• Saturday, Oct. 17 and Sunday, Oct. 18, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Fonthill Castle Meander Days, Doylestown. $20 adults, $10 youth, free for ages 5 and under.
• Saturday, Oct. 17 and Sunday, Oct. 18 – Crafts in the Meadow, Tyler Park Center for the Arts, 10 Stable Mill Road, Richboro.
• Saturday, Oct. 17, 10 a.m. to noon – Core Creek Habitat Improvement Team volunteer morning, Core Creek Park, 901 Bridgetown Pike, Langhorne.
• Saturday, Oct. 17, from noon – The Doylestown Scarecrow Stroll opens downtown and runs through Oct. 31.
• Through Sunday, Oct. 25 – Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, Bristol Riverside Theatre, 120 Radcliffe St., Bristol. Check the box office for showtimes.

Warm Friday, Cold Saturday

The National Weather Service has showers and thunderstorms for Friday with a high near 79 and an 80 percent chance of rain, gusting to 25 mph. Friday night brings more storms and a low around 46. Then the floor drops out: Saturday turns partly sunny with a high near 52 and a north wind of 15 to 20 mph, and Saturday night falls to about 34 with patchy frost after 3 a.m. Sunday is the better outdoor day, sunny and near 57 once the morning frost burns off. The rest of the week stays dry and bright, with highs from 60 Monday to 65 Tuesday and rain chances under 15 percent through Thursday. No watches, warnings or advisories were posted for Bucks County as of Friday morning. More at our weather page.

Votes, Agendas and Budgets

Warrington Township supervisors adopted five ordinances on Oct. 13, each putting the 2021 edition of an international code in place with township provisions: residential, mechanical, fire, plumbing and property maintenance. The board also adopted Resolution 2026-R-13, amending the official sewage facilities plan to extend public sewer to parts of Camp America still on on-lot systems. (Township notice)

Bristol Township Council’s posted Oct. 15 agenda included the Keystone Municipal Solutions presentation on a five-year financial projection and earned income tax analysis, a consent-agenda voucher list of $4,279,878.16, and ordinances covering red-light violations and the sale of kratom and hemp-derived cannabinoid products. No minutes or outcomes were posted as of Friday morning. (Agenda Center)

Middletown Township supervisors approved a $22,850 contract to restore Sturbridge Pond in the Langhorne section, covering aerators and an initial cleanup of accumulated vegetation, with state-secured funding reported as covering the cost. (Our report)

Middletown Township holds a budget workshop Monday, Oct. 19. (Township site)

Lower Makefield Township supervisors meet Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m. The township has posted a notice saying it is giving residents information on potential approaches to a longstanding structural deficit in its General Fund. (Township site)

The Bucks County Commissioners meet Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 10:30 a.m. in the Administration Building, 55 E. Court St., Doylestown, and the Central Bucks school board meets Thursday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. at 16 Welden Drive, Doylestown. Both bodies post agendas 24 hours ahead. (County, CBSD)

Your Turn

Hit reply and tell us what you are hearing on your street, at your board meeting or in your school district. Tips from readers shape what we chase next week.