I attended the final Upper Merion budget workshop Thursday night, where township officials reviewed capital requests as work continues on the 2027 budget.

And I was genuinely encouraged by the turnout.

Tax Collector Evelyn Ankers and other township residents have spent weeks urging residents to attend these workshops and take part in the budget process. Tonight, quite a few people did exactly that.

Residents listened, asked questions and raised concerns about how township money is being spent. That is exactly what these public meetings are for, and I hope tonight’s turnout encourages even more residents to attend meetings in the future.

There will also be another opportunity to ask questions. Board Chair Tina Garzillo said a button will be added to the township website tomorrow where residents can submit budget questions.

Garzillo emphasized that the responses will not be AI-generated. She said township employees will answer the questions, and residents will also be able to see the questions submitted by others and the township’s responses.

Things did get tense toward the end when a resident raised questions about township spending related to the proposed housing/stadium/mixed-use project.

More importantly, some statements made during that exchange appear inconsistent with records I obtained through a Right-to-Know request.

I’ll be going back through those records and sharing the relevant documents separately.

But tonight’s biggest takeaway for me: people showed up, asked questions and participated.

I hope that continues.

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Thank you for reading,

Corey