“We’re in relatively good shape here, but the more we can squeeze out the better,” Tyrone Mayor Patricia Stoner told borough council members and department heads as they poured over budget worksheets for well over an hour last night.
At the end of the night a motion was made to pass a proposed budget with amendments that were recommended by council members and other borough officials. Should the budget remain as is, there will be no tax increase for borough residents.
The proposed budget had to be passed last night or council would have had to hold a special meeting by November 15 according to solicitor Larry Clapper. Instead, Director of Administration Phyliss Garhart was instructed to make revisions based on council’s latest recommendations and the proposed budget passed.
The budget must be put on display before the public for a ten-day review period. Clapper explained that since Nov. 15 fell on a weekend, Tyrone Borough could wait until Monday to release the proposed budget. Council will then have to pass a final budget by mid-December, which could still include more changes.
In figures released to The Daily Herald, the proposed budget includes total operating revenue of $1,501,000 with expenses of $1,543,000. This left a shortfall of $42,000. Council and Mayor Stoner agreed to donate their salaries to help eliminate some of the shortage. However, Mayor Stoner pointed out that the $900 salary earmarked for incoming Councilman Bill Fink would remain in the budget since he is not currently a member of council and does not have the ability to vote on the upcoming budget.
“I had discussed the matter with my wife and already planned to donate my salary to a charity such as the Salvation Army or the YMCA,” said councilman elect Bill Fink, when he stopped by The Daily Herald offices this morning; however, for now, the amount must remain in the proposed budget.
Another way to defray the shortfall was several recommendations to increase various fees that Tyrone Borough charges for services, along with penalties imposed for parking violations.
With the proposed changes, fees for park reservations will increase along with charging for reservations on all days, rather than just some days, which has been the previous policy. Councilman J.R. Watson made several recommendations including a proposal to increase the cost of fire marshall reports from $5 to $15.
There was much discussion at last night’s meeting regarding the fees charged for use of the borough pool.
Tyrone’s fees are the lowest in Blair County and it offers a 10 percent discount for early payment. It was finally decided to increase the family resident rate by five dollars from $60 to $ 65. The individual and daily rate will stay the same, the non resident family rate will also increase under the revised proposed budget. The cost of renovations of the pool were also brought up at Monday’s meeting.
Also discussed at last night’s meeting was the use of the concession stands. Solicitor Larry Clapper recommended contacting Central Blair Park and Recreation on how it handle concessions. One suggestion considered was allowing a non-profit organization to run the concessions, with the borough charging a fee or splitting profits with the vendors.
Councilman Jim Beckwith urged council to increase penalties for various parking violations to the maximum allowable by law. For example, parking on the sidewalk would cost $15 instead of $10 starting next year. There would be similar increases for double parking and parking against traffic.
Other recommend cuts included $1,000 under the fire chief’s operation category. Outgoing chief Jim Beckwith said the money was for emergency use and in his time as fire chief he has seldom had need to use it.
Solicitor Larry Clapper recommended that planners should reimburse the borough for costs it must pay to the Blair County Planning Commission for the review of plans. The proposed fee was set at $150 and could mean a possible $1,500 for the borough that it has not been receiving.
Although no specific action was taken, council and department heads were also asked about other ways to save money including cutting computer support costs and consolidating communications. Mayor Stoner urged all officials to buy locally to reduce time and transportation costs. Employees were even urged to cancel unnecessary publication subscriptions.
One thing that was added to the budget was the request for $500 additional dollars for the Park Avenue Playground program. Councilman Jim Beckwith had made the suggestion at the previous meeting.
In the end, the additional cuts amounted to $14,300, leaving a shortfall of $27,700, which will be obtain from the capital reserve.
In other business, the council accepted Fire Chief Beckwith’s formal retirement letter. One member of the public commended the chief.
Councilman elect Bill Fink led a round of applause for Mr. Beckwith’s 28-year effort.
In other routine matters, council:
•amended it’s own ordinance regarding abandoned vehicles to allow the code enforcement officer to enforce those rules per a new state law which instructs code officers to handle abandoned vehicle matters. The borough manager will also be used as a hearing officer for those who may want to appeal the actions taken by the borough regarding an abandoned vehicle; and
•approved a handicapped parking space at 1059 Jefferson Avenue pending an agreement by the resident to eliminate a driveway opening next to the space by placing a curb there in place of the driveway opening.
