Tyrone Borough Manager Al Drayovich gave his 2003 Budget message to Tyrone Borough Council last night.
“The budget proposal we presented for council’s consideration provide for continuation of essentially all services at the same levels that have been provided historically by the borough, that would include things like police, highway, water, sewer and things like that, we are proposing for next year in the budget proposal that those services can be provided with available revenues without the need for any specific tax increase, without the need for any water rate increase and without the need for any sewer rate increase for next year,” said Drayovich. “However we need to point out to council that the sewer fund for 2002 was balanced with an operating defecit situation. I have indicated that the sewer revenues have come in better than expected in that case, while an operating defecit was budgeted in sewer, we didn’t operate in a defecit situation this year because prices were under budget and revenues were substantially over budget. For next year the General Fund will have sufficient anticipated revenues to cover its needs and not have a defecit situation and no tax increase. The Water Fund is in good shape with no anticipated change with respect to water rates. The Sewer Fund, we budgeted no anticipated operating expenses and anticipate the necessary capital expenses for next year. What we have done is we have taken the tax reserves that are available in the Sewer Fund which are considerably higher than we started the last year with and we budgeted those to cover the capital expenses for next year. That would include new equipment or capital things we need and also fund the costs for the operating defecit for 2003 similar to what we did this year. On that basis that is how we present a balanced budget with no increases.”
Drayovich asked council if it wanted to go into detail over the worksheets he provided to the council.
Councilman J.R. Watson asked if we accept this tonight as a proposed budget, we are able to still adjust add, delete, subtract anything from that budget?
Drayovich responded, “it is a two step process under our charter and again under the Borough Code. There is a approved status of the proposed budget presented in November and then after the public examination period where the budget is made available for public review and council comes back in December and that is when you have to approve by ordinance pass the budget. In that time between November and December, Council can certainly make adjustments to categories in the budget that they want to. At this point, this is just a proposed budget.”
Council discussed when it had to accept the proposed budget.
“I would like to commend you for that work that you have done,” said Mayor Pat Stoner. “Considering still the loss of Westvaco which we had last year and not to have a tax increase, not to have a water or sewer increase, I think it is commendable in the work that Al has done.”
Council tabled the ratification of the proposed budget until next Tuesday’s meeting.
In action taken by the Council, it voted 7-0 in favor of requesting the PENNDOT grant to build the train platform to be reappropriated to another project, such as Streetscape Phase II, voted 7-0 to accept a $425 change order in the Waterline Replacement Project, voted 7-0 to approve purchase of accessory materials for playground at Reservoir Park voted 7-0 for the police chief to enter Tyrone Police in the Pennsylvania Drug Enforcement Coordinating System, voted 7-0 to name Tom Riley to the Zoning Hearing Board and voted 7-0 to purchase a nine-bicycle rack for the borough parking lot.
The Council went into executive session to discuss a litigation matter with borough solicitor Larry Clapper.
Council member Jim Grazier was absent from the meeting.
Borough Council will meet on Tuesday, November 12 as Veteran’s Day is November 11. The mayor gavels the meeting at 7 p.m.
