2013 Preliminary Budget Presented

Borough Hall was packed last night and it was good to see since the 2013 Preliminary Budget was being discussed. Joe Possenti provided a very detailed, yet clear, slide presentation that outlined the current spending within the borough and the projected shortage for 2013.
A couple of highlights…

Eddystone is the only town in the county that does not charge its residents a sanitation fee, yet our waste tipping fees (dollar amount per ton of waste) continue to rise.
Eddystone residents have not had an increase in sewage fees for almost a decade, yet here again, Delcora’s fees keep going up.

He stated that this is one of the “perks” of living in Eddystone, but the result of not being charged these fees may lead to an increase in taxes.

He noted that a copy is available at Borough Hall for the public and the 2013 budget will be finalized in a public meeting on Dec. 27.

After the presentation, the floor was opened to the public to ask questions. Resident Dan Arrison asked if recycling would have an impact on the sanitation portion of the budget. The answer was yes, but it would take about a year to put a program in place, so it would be something to look at for the 2014 budget.

Surprisingly, Dale Kerns (presumably running again for council in the 2013 primary according to his “Dale Kerns for Council ,State Representative ,Delegate, whateverpoliticalofficeisopen, Council Again” Facebook Page) sat quietly and did not ask questions or add to the conversation. I guess he was saving that for his Facebook posts…does this kid do anything other than post on Facebook? He states, “If elected to Council in 2013, I would never vote to raise taxes!” Instead he will donate his stipend back to the borough…All $1200 of it. That’s per year. Not even a drop in the bucket to cover the shortage Kiddo. And tax payers would still be paying for it. Uh….thanks?

Councilwoman Blissick nominated Christine Hastings to the Rec Board after which, Council voted her in unanimously. Congratulations to Ms. Hastings. Councilman Paterson noted that he would still like to see a recycling program in Eddystone and will continue to work for one. He also stated that he has reached out to contacts at the proposed Eddystone Rail Company but has yet to hear from them. Councilwoman Reeves wanted everyone to know that the new Firehouse was NOT built with funds that were being anticipated from Camden Iron. Um. OK…but according to Borough Manager Francie Howat in the June 22, 2011 Daily Times article, “Knowing this project was moving forward, council was confident to go forward with its goal of building a new firehouse”.

http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2011/06/22/news/doc4e0148254ee7d791441735.txt?viewmode=default



Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!