Conshohocken Proposes No Tax Increase in Balanced 2013 Budget

Conshohocken Council was presented with a balanced 2013 budget proposal at its legislative meeting Wednesday night, which also does not include any real estate tax increases. Should Council adopt the budget at its Dec. 19 meeting, they would lock in rates of 3.5 mills, or $350 in annual taxes for the average assessed home value of $100,000, borough manager Fran Marabella said.

The proposed budget is perfectly balanced at $10,411,800. That represents an $187,900 increase in both revenues and expenditures from 2012, budget numbers show.

On the expenditure side, the largest increases are $405,900 in highway construction and repair, and $282,800 in emergency service expenditures, mainly in the form of increased salary for patrolmen and police and fire vehicle costs. The borough will purchase two new police vehicles and one fire vehicle, council said.

Those expenditures are greatly offset by the completion of repairs to recreational fields and capital projects such as the concession stand, budget numbers show.

Councilman Raj Gupta said the budget includes significant new capital expenditures, including repairs to Sutcliffe Lane and Wood Street, stormwater management projects along Colwell Lane, and traffic light improvements.

The largest increase in revenue will come from mercantile tax, which the budget projects will increase from $220,000 to $400,000 in 2013.  However, business privilege tax is projected to drop by $75,000, to $1.8 million.

Salaries for Council and Mayor Robert Frost will remain flat, as will compensation for the borough's solicitor. The borough currently holds about $300,000 in budgetary reserves, Marabella said.

The budget will be available for public review on Monday, Dec. 3, council said.