Council Votes 5 to 1 in Favor of Budget

The 2012 municipal budget was officially adopted by the council Tuesday with a vote of 5 to 1 in favor.

Councilman David Gonzalez voted against the budget. Before voting yes, Councilwoman Pamela Link asked for clarification from the chief financial officer that certain line items could be reallocated if needed.

Once again no members of the public came forward to speak out on behalf of the budget. over the past month.

The $18,281,943 budget for 2012, has a tax levy of $14,419,262, about a 1 point tax increase which means the average homeowner will pay an additional $35 towards the municipal portion of his or her tax bill. The average home is now valued at $355,000, post-reassessment.

The property reassessment resulted in a 25 percent decrease of residential properties therefore most homeowners saw a reduction in property value.  Commercial properties saw a smaller decrease of less than 5 percent as a result of the reassessment.

The borough now needs to wait on the county to adopt its budget and certify a tax rate so the borough will be able to issue tax bills from there, explained Mike Kronyak, chief financial officer and borough administrator.  Kronyak said the timing of this will determine whether or not the borough will have to issue an estimated tax bill.

The average taxpayer will see of the tax bill this year. The approved its 2012-2013 budget in March.