Council To Introduce Municipal Budget

The March 13^th Municipal Budget Meeting marked the final time the governing body would meet prior to Thursday’s proposed date for budget introduction.

On March 9^th the Mayor and Council held a meeting to discuss the budget and acted on certain recommendations of Ken Blum, the Borough’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO). These cuts were departmental and were applied to areas under “other expenses”. Total cuts enacted on March 9^th were $157,005 and the average tax increase to a house assessed at $65,000 was between $114 and $115.

At the most recent budget meeting, the council agreed to an additional round of cuts totaling $94,431. March 13^th cuts reflected a decrease in Mayor and Council salaries and wages, a change in the start date for new police hires, a cut in police overtime, a change in part-time municipal court start dates, a cut in Social Security (other expenses), and a cut from the Recreation Department under other expenses. Cuts to appropriations from the March 9^th and 13^th municipal budget meetings totaled $251,436.

After a brief closed session, the governing body adjourned the Mach 13^th meeting recommending that the budget be introduced at their next regular meeting on Thursday, March 17, 2011. The draft of the budget posed for introduction reflects an average tax increase to a house assessed at $65,000 of $98.34. This proposed increase is down $229.62 from the original amount of $327.96.

Total cuts to appropriations raging from February 23, 2011 to March 14, 2011 total $617,314.78. Total increases to revenues amount to $373,741. If this draft of the budget is introduced by council on Thursday night, nothing impends further cuts and amendments from being made until the date of “Public Hearing and Adoption” on May 5, 2011.