Dec 12, 2013 By Erin Hayes for The 2 min read

PERRYOPOLIS — Outgoing members of borough council bid their farewells at the last council meeting of the year Wednesday, but not before unanimously approving a 2014 budget reflecting a surplus of nearly $10,000.

The budget, which has already been advertized as required by law, includes a total of $733,447 in revenues and $723,602 in expenditures, leaving a surplus of $9,845. The carryover from 2013 was about $10,000, President Ron Lombard noted.

The millage rate remains unchanged at 3.701.

Lombard said his only concern with the new budget is that estimations of revenues to be collected for vehicle code violations may be set too high. In the 2013 budget, they were estimated to bring in $10,000, but year-to-date figures available at the time the 2014 budget was drafted showed that only $5,624 of that amount had been collected.

Borough Secretary Colleen Pontoriero noted that vehicle code violations have always been a floating item on the budget and that borough police are in no way required to meet quotas to match budgeted estimates.Council also motioned to have borough Solicitor Deana Fahringer craft a letter to West Penn Power to estimate the cost of power pole repairs and also to bring into question ownership of the poles.

“We want to send a letter from the solicitor requesting an estimate of cost and also to let them know that they need to repair them,” Lombard said.

“They would be liable if someone got hurt.”

“It’s a liability issue.” Fahringer said.

“The poles are their poles, and I believe they should be responsible.”

Councilman Leonard Lynch noted that a letter received from the power company requested the numbers and locations of any poles in the borough in need of repair.

At the conclusion of the meeting, outgoing members expressed their farewells.

“I have enjoyed working with people on council and appreciate the work and time they put into the borough,” said Lombard.

Other outgoing members at the meeting included Lynch and Chris Massey. Outgoing councilman Pete Gardner was absent.

In other business, council:

n Approved a three-year school resource officer agreement with Frazier School District as prepared by Perryopolis Borough police Capt. Steve Kontaxes, retroactive to June.

n Approved a recommendation from K-2 Engineering approving the Kalinoski subdivision plan.

n Scheduled the borough’s reorganization meeting for 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 6.

n Announced that Santa will be at the borough building, 312 E. Independence St., on Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m.