On Wednesday, Dec. 28, the Boyertown Borough Council will be approving a final budget and tax ordinance. The budget calls for a property tax increase of 0.5 mill.
Borough Manager Patricia Loder says the preliminary general fund expense is $1.7 million for 2017. The proposed increase will bring the tax millage rate from 5.64 to 6.14 mill.
The increase equates to an additional $50 per $100,000 property value assessment.
Loder said there are various reasons for the increase this year, such as a rise in personnel costs – including the police contract and employee medical insurance – and MS4 engineering compliance. MS4 has to do with the municipal’s storm water system. She said those costs this year were a significant increase to previous years.
“We had to increase taxes last year as well, prior to that, we hadn’t increased for about four years,” said Loder. Last year’s increase was also 0.5 mill. “That was directly the result of the increase of the municipal’s obligation to the pension plan.”
The budget for 2017 is expected to be approved at the next council meeting on Dec. 28, the council’s final meeting of the year. Loder says she doesn’t anticipate any changes between now and then.
During the Dec. 5 meeting, Council President Frank Deery thanked Pat Loder and Finance Chair Chuck Heller for the work they did on the budget.
The budget had been previously discussed by council, and following no further comments, the third budget meeting scheduled for Dec. 12 was cancelled.
In other finance business, the council considered and approved a request from the Boyertown Lions Club to pay the electric cost for the Christmas lights in the right of way within the borough. Heller said the cost of this would likely be $60 or less with the new LED lighting. It was clarified that the $60 would be the total cost for the year. The lights are up for 4-5 weeks.
President Deery shared his assumption with council that this would be in effect going forward, and not just for this year.
