Here we go, another Tuesday and today, I have very little on my mind.
I think I got a lot off of it on Saturday.
What does it take for people to get involved? Last night, there were five people at the Tyrone Borough Council meeting. Three residents of the borough and two reporters. What a sad display.
There is a public comment session before every borough council meeting, school board meeting and township supervisors meeting. This is your chance to speak your peace to your elected officials.
Let’s put it this way, I am no math whiz, but as I looked through the budget passed by Tyrone Borough Council last night, all is good for 2003, but what happens in 2004.
We’ll break the numbers down in the way the budgets are made, General fund, Water fund and Sewer fund.
General Fund
The borough will finish 2002 with a cash reserve of $1,368,000. The borough has estimated incoming revenues of $1,510,000 for 2003, for a grand total of cash and revenue in the General fund of $2,878,000.
Part of that money is $129,000 in federal and state revenue. With a change in the governor’s office, will all of that money still be earmarked for Tyrone?
For expenses for 2002, the operating expenses are listed at $1,509,000 which is $1,000 under the operating incoming revenues for 2003.
Under capital improvements for 2003, is $560,000 for general government. Of the $560,000 for general government capital expenses, $500,000 is for exterior repairs and renovation to the Municipal Building. $30,000 is budgeted for updated codification of Borough ordinances and $30,000 is for updating the Borough computer programs from DOS to Windows. Another $583,000 is budgeted for streets and highways, (538,000 for street and storm sewer improvement projects, $45,000 for a new dump truck). There are $200,000 for capital improvements in recreation, park, trees and library. ($200,000 is slated to be matching funds for a CDBG grant for the pool). There is $20,000 budget to replace the car used by the code enforcement officer.
Cash and Revenue — $2,878,000
Expenses — $2,872,000
Balance at end of 2002 — $6,000
There are some things that can make this funding go out of whack. The contract with the police union is in arbitration and the cost of the police budget could go up. If that happens, the General Fund could start 2004 in a deficit.
Water Fund
The water fund starts 2003 with a balance of $540,000 and the borough has budgeted an income of $1,349,000 for a total of cash and revenue of $1,889,000.
The borough has budgeted $1,192,000 in operating expenses and $582,000 in capital expenses for a total of $1,774,000. The total left at the end of the year is $115,000.
Sewer Fund
The borough will start 2003 with $476,000 in reserve. The estimated revenue generated by the Sewer Department is $1,129,000 for a total of cash and revenue of $1,605,000.
The borough has budgeted operating expenses as $1,283,000 and $300,000 of capital expenses for a total of $1,583,000 and a reserve of $22,000 to start 2004.
Just a thought
Does re-election play into the 2003 budget?
In a local election year, council passes a budget with no tax increase, no water rate increase and no sewer rate increase, and $2,245,000 in capital improvements. Nice platform.
What won’t be said in the platform is Tyrone Borough will start 2003 with a total of $2,384,000 in cash reserve of the three various funds and will end 2003 with $143,000.
That is spending $2,241,000 over income. The balance in the budget comes from reserve.
Again, let me remind you that Governor-elect Rendell has made no bones about providing for Philadelphia, so you can’t bank on every state dollar that is budgeted.
Technically, this is not deficit spending. There is money in reserve, which is to be for troubled economic times. We are in troubled economic times, but the reserve is to ease the tax burden on residents, not renovate the Municipal Building.
When the four council members who are up for election in 2003 hit the streets asking for your vote, the first question you should ask is what is the plan for 2004? Will there be increases in taxes, water rates and sewer rates? If the answer you get is no, ask where the money is going to come from?
Tyrone Borough residents can bank on tax, water and sewer increases for 2004. There is no choice.
Again, I say I am no math whiz, but the overall numbers are pretty simple. They add up this year, but next year is a whole different ballgame.
