2012 Municipal Budget Approval Expected in May

It’s anticipated that the proposed 2012 municipal budget, which has a minimal one point tax levy increase, will be adopted by borough officials next month.

No one came forward on behalf of the proposed budget during the scheduled public hearing Tuesday night. Mike Kronyak, borough’s CFO and administrator, gave a brief recap on what is proposed.

Kronyak said the budget, which overall totals $18,281,943, is under the appropriations cap and the tax levy cap. The tax levy, in the amount of $14,419,262, is up just roughly 1 percent, the equivalent of one tax point which is. This means the average homeowner with a house assessed at $355,000 will pay $35 more this year in municipal taxes.

Most residential property owners saw a decrease in value as a result of the property reassessment which was conducted at the end of last year. Homeowners may see a reduction in the municipal portion of their tax bill as a result of the and minimal tax increase, Kronyak explained.

He explained the borough’s total spending plan for this year increased by just one percent, which is well under cap. The borough did authorize an ordinance which would allow them to increase the spending cap up to 3 percent but this was only done to create a bank, not to go up in spending this year, Kronyak explained.