Council Approves Amended 2011 Municipal Budget

An amended 2011 municipal budget, which reflects cuts to department budgets for overtime and other expenses as well as the reduction of three employees from the payroll, was adopted by the council Tuesday night.

The amended budget in the amount of $18,153,213,  has a tax levy, which is the amount actually raised by local taxes, of $14,283,451, a roughly 2 percent increase from 2010. The previously proposed budget for 2011 had an increase of 4.2 percent in the tax levy.

The budget cuts resulted in a decrease of $285,839 to the tax levy. This year’s budget will cost the average taxpayer with a home assessed at $436,000, an additional $83 a year. The previously proposed budget would have cost the average taxpayer an additional $153 per year.

Once again Mayor Rose Heck stated that this was the most difficult budget year in at least 25 years. The three salaries which have been cut are as a result of two layoffs and one position vacated by a retirement will not be replaced.  Thirty-three line items in the budget were reduced, she stated.

When the budget was first introduced March 22, borough officials stated the finance committee would continue to work to reduce the budget. A public hearing on the budget was held in late April and in May officials announced that the budget would be reintroduced in June to reflect cuts.

Borough officials cited multiple reasons for budget problems this year which included loss of revenue, decreased surplus and increases in health insurance and pension costs.

“I am proud to say we were able to move the budget in the right direction,” Mayor Heck commented.