Perryopolis council adopts final budget
PERRYOPOLIS – The borough council adopted a finalized budget Wednesday that holds the tax rate steady without cutting any services, after several special meetings to reign in the plan for 2004. According to council treasurer Ronald Lombard, the borough will have $419,264 in revenue in the coming year with $412,395 in expenditures, carrying over a surplus of $6,869. The tax rate will remain 1.769 mills.
Lombard said he expected the close figures after budgetary concerns were raised last year. An audit of the borough’s 2002 finances conducted by McClure and Wolf Public Accountants found no irregularities, however.
Last month, Lombard raised issue with the new garbage proposal for the borough and the lack of a solid figure for the new financial plan. Earlier in November, the borough voted to advertise an ordinance that will require all garbage haulers in the community to be licensed through the borough and raise the permit rate from $100 a year to $400.
Additionally, the ordinance requires each company to submit a list of residents and businesses served and pay a $2 monthly fee per household. Every borough resident must received garbage pickup under the ordinance and all haulers will be required to remove any type of trash, including furniture. Hazardous wastes, such as paint nad car batteries are excluded.
Lombard said the garbage fee is scheduled in the budget as $17,000 in income, but there are questions about customers changing companies in the middle of the year and the lack of a precedent with billing for the new system.
The council held a special informational meeting before the regular session to discuss the proposed hauling plan with interested disposal companies.
Representatives from Fayette Waste and Onyx Waste Services attended the session in which the council decided that selecting one hauler for the borough will reduce paper work and give residents the best available rate. As of Wednesday, the council had yet to receive requests for hauling permits.
“I think this is what we owe the citizens of the borough,” Councilman Paul Black said.
During the regular session the council passed a motion to advertise for quotes for garbage pickup for the entire borough for one, two and three year schedules to be filed by Friday, Dec. 19, at 4 p.m. to be followed by a special meeting at 7 p.m. to discuss the matter further.
Onyx Waste Services has between 30,000 and 40,000 customers in 12 municipalities but does not currently serve the borough and Fayette Waste maintains about 4,000 customers, including about 70 percent of the 700 residences in Perryopolis.
Lombard said that some variation in the $17,000 figure will not affect the balance of the finalized version, but every dollar is important with current economic conditions unstable.
After expecting a tight account in 2004, Lombard said that some extra revenue from new developments in the municipality helped to ease the burden on the borough’s finances.
Lombard said another area that has caused the financial contraction in the borough is the declining money given to the council each year from the Mary Fuller Frazier estate.
He said the tentative plan includes a projection of $50,000 from the estate, but there could be some excess, as was the case last year when about $4,000 more than estimated was given to the borough and noted that the estate has not submitted a final figure to the borough yet.
The borough also conducted the following business:
– Heard from John Hahn about water drainage problems along Constitution Street.
– Announced that Christmas treats with Santa Claus and The Cat in the Hat will be available at the municipal building Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m.
– Scheduled the reorganization of the council for Monday, Jan. 5, at 8 p.m.
– Thanked Councilman George Usher for his years of service to the borough as Wednesday was his last meeting on council.
– Reviewed a letter from the Perry Township supervisors regarding a request from the borough for help with food distribution from the area food bank. The township said that current financial burdens will not allow them to help with the distribution. The council said they will meet with the ministerial association that runs the service to discuss the matter further.