CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — Clarion Borough Council on Tuesday night unanimously approved a preliminary 2018 General Fund Budget of $2,049,345.00 that calls for no new taxes.
The budget will be advertised and available for public inspection before it is officially approved as a final budget.
Tax millage of 22 mills includes General Fund (17.095), Street Lighting (1.1), Fire Company (1.630), Library (.975), Recreation (.5), and Recycling Fund (.7).
The top projected revenue items are as follows:
• Real Estate Taxes $728,110.00, a slight increase over this year’s $718,383.00 budget.
• Local Taxes (Act 511) $461,180.00, an increase over this year’s $440,360.00 budget projection. The largest amount of projected revenue in this area comes from real estate transfer taxes of $295,000.00 and earned income tax of $131,000.00.
• Licenses and Permits $226,035.00, up from this year’s projection of $217,095.00. (Rental unit licenses accounts for $101,730.00 in the 2018 projections.)
• Fines $90,250.00, up from this year’s budget of $82,750.00.
• Interest, Rents and Royalties $1,325.00, down from this year’s $1,425.00 budget.
• Intergovernmental Revenues $42,985.00, dramatically more than this year’s $13,940.00 budget. The 2018 budget project includes payments in Lieu of Taxes of $13,751.00 and new grants over $27,000.00.
• Services $113,550.00, up from this year’s projected revenues of $73,550.00.
Expenses outlined
The top two projected expense areas are, as usual, Public Safety and General Government. Budgeted expenses include the following:
• General Government $272,115.00, down from last year’s $288,856.00 budget.
• Parking Meters $36,845.00, up from last year’s $33,556.00 budget. (Parking Meter revenue at the end of the 2017 year accounted for $74,800.00.)
• Public Safety $921,420.00, up from last year’s $86,018.00 budget.
• Housing and Zoning $88,000.00, up from lat year’s $86,346.00 budget. (2017 projected expenses are $140,427.00).
• Public Works $360,705.00, up from last year’s $332,403.00 budget.
• Debt payments $300,725.00, slightly lower than last year’s $302,675.00.
In other business:
• Council unanimously approved a 2018-2021 Public Works Contract that provides each of the four public works employees with a $1.00 per hour increase for each year of the contract.
• Approved Clarion Area Chamber of Business and Industry’s Special Event Request for Holiday Season that includes Free Parking for Monday, November 20 (Customer Appreciation Day); Friday, November 24 (Black Friday); and November 27 through December 26 (Holiday Shopping Season).
• Approved the Chamber’s Special Event Request for Christmas Parade to be held on Monday, November 20. Line up is at 5:30 p.m. and the parade step-off will be at 6:00 p.m.
• Approved Resolution #2017-408, a resolution reducing the Police Pension Contributions from five percent to zero percent for the Year 2018 and a revised 2018 Minimum Municipal Obligation for the Police Pension Plan to zero.
• Approved Resolution #2017-409, a Resolution Reducing the General Employees’ Pension Contributions for the Year 2018 from five percent to 2.5 percent and revised the 2018 Minimum Municipal Obligation for the General Employees’ Pension Plan in the amount of $16,331.00.
• Leaf Pick Up is every Monday and Tuesday, Ending Tuesday, November 21, 2017, at 7:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
• Public Works thanked Francis J. Palo Inc. for loaning equipment and M and B Redi-Mix for loaning and donating cement barriers for Autumn Leaf Festival.
