Connellsville City Council adopts 2016 budget with no tax increase
CONNELLSVILLE — Connellsville City Council on Tuesday adopted a balanced $3.04 million budget that does not raise taxes next year.
In addition to the budget, council adopted a tax ordinance, which maintains the current real estate tax rate of 8.25 mills, and a salary ordinance that sets employee salaries and wages.
“I think this is a very sound budget that we put forth,” said Councilman Brad Geyer, the director of accounts and finance.
Revenue in the budget includes $2.23 million from taxes, $393,030 in intergovernmental revenue, $184,000 from license and permit fees, $108,499 from charges for services and $80,100 from fines and forfeitures.
Expenses include $1.48 million for the police department, $492,906 for employee benefits, $368,626 for the public works department, $142,923 for the finance department, $101,653 for code enforcement, $98,955 for the fire department, $97,562 for debt service, $95,250 for public buildings and $90,541 for insurance.
To pay for operations until the city begins receiving tax payments in March, council voted to accept a tax anticipation note (TAN) for $350,000 at 1.875 percent interest from Somerset Trust Co.
TANs were the subject of one of the findings in the 2014 audit report conducted by McClure and Wolf of Uniontown.
Council unanimously voted to accept the report.
The city hasn’t repaid a TAN in the year in which it was borrowed since 2012, Clayton Gregg, of McClure and Wolf, told council members.
He said the balance of a $675,000 TAN borrowed in 2014 wasn’t paid off until January 2015.
A significant number of check were incorrectly classified due to errors in matching check numbers to invoices when they were entered into the accounting system. Gregg described the problem as a significant deficiency.
Another significant deficiency was that various boards established by the city were maintaining bank accounts outside of the city’s internal control structure.
Gregg said council started using QuickBooks last year and the program has helped the city reconcile it’s accounts and make more informed financial decisions.
“You’re on the right track,” Gregg said.
In unrelated business, council appointed Angie Hamman, Brook Deason, Larry Herman, Gary Colatch and Dolly Tissue as the new board of directors of the Greater Connellsville Area Community Center Inc.
Councilman Gregory “Matty” Ritch said council took over the center a few years ago because it was in danger of closing. The board’s bylaws were revised to reduce the number of board members from 15 to four.
The new board will meet in January to elect officers, he said.
In addition, the police department has been paying attention to crosswalks on Pittsburgh Street and Crawford Avenue following a recent accident in which someone was struck and killed by a vehicle while crossing the street at a crosswalk, Mayor Greg Lincoln said.
He said drivers are required to stop for people on a crosswalk.
In other business, council:
n Agreed to join Bullskin Township, Connellsville Township and South Connellsville in an application for a state grant to buy a crack sealing machine for streets and sidewalks.
n Accepted solicitor Tim Witt’s proposal to codify ordinances. Council included $12,000 in the 2016 budget for codification.
n Re-appointed Joe Mancuso to the Connellsville Redevelopment Authority board.
n Appointed Robert McDowell to the Connellsville Municipal Authority board.
n Scheduled the re-organization meeting for Jan. 4 at 6 p.m.
n Announced that children can place homemade ornaments on the city’s Christmas tree at City Hall from 3-5 p.m. Thursday.
n Invited residents to the Polar Bear Club’s annual jump into the Youghiogheny River at Yough River Park at 11 a.m. New Year’s Day.