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Palmyra Borough Council tried to figure out how to close a $819,000 budget deficit during a three-hour meeting on Nov. 12.
All council members said they are trying to prevent a tax increase for borough residents in 2025, and they went through individual line items to see where cuts could be made.
In the list of proposed cuts were a washer and dryer, a sixth public works employee, a landscape trailer, and a decreased boot allowance from $250 to $150 for public works. They also want to replace one lawn mower instead of the proposed two, and they will not add a fourth to the fleet.
Council did not decide on whether they would redo a basketball court and decrease the amount they typically transfer to the capital reserve fund.
“We really do need another public works [employee], but I can’t when we’re $819,000 now in the hole,” council member Jane Quairoli said. “I hate to do it, but there’s nothing else that’s a big chunk of this general fund.”
The borough would still be hundreds of thousands short even with all proposed cuts.
“We can argue about a basketball court until tomorrow morning, it’s not going to matter,” council member Jim Teche said. “You still didn’t get the number you wanted to get to give everybody no tax increase. You will have to do a tax increase, just figure out how much. You will not get out of this without a tax increase.”
Assistant borough manager Brenda Pera noted most of these cuts are being made to public works.
“Once again, the department that is taking it on the chin is the public works department, who provides more service and has higher expectations of the residents in this community and has trouble meeting those expectations,” she said.
They ultimately decided to continue the discussion, reconvening at 6 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 18. Council needs to vote to advertise the budget at the next regularly scheduled meeting on Nov. 26 so it can be adopted by the end of 2024.
Also during the meeting, Mayor Fred Carpenter, who has served as Palmyra’s mayor for 10 years, announced his retirement effective Jan. 1.
He said he has been “down in the dumps,” sick, and having trouble walking and talking lately.
“It was a pleasure working with everybody,” Carpenter said. “It’s just something that I just can’t handle anymore. I don’t want to go, but my wife is pushing me.”
He recommended that council consider Tom Miller for the job, who served as a council member himself for seven years.
Borough manager Roger Powl said council will have 30 days from Jan. 1 to vote to fill the mayor’s seat.
In other business, council:
- Voted 6-1 to approve three members to the Palmyra Borough Uniform Construction Code Board of Appeals and pay them $50 per meeting. Catalani was the dissenting vote and did not provide a reason. Powl said there had been two hearings in the 17 years he has been borough manager.
- Unanimously voted to authorize Powl to issue a Notice of Intent to award Pennsy Supply a $548,265.67 contract for the milling and paving of East Maple Street from Railroad Street to the municipal boundary and East Oak Street from Forge Street to the municipal boundary in 2025
Palmyra Borough Council will meet next on Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. at 325 S. Railroad St. to continue discussing the budget. Meetings are also streamed on the Palmyra Borough YouTube page.
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