Brownsville council holds line on taxes but stresses need for additional monies
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Brownsville Borough Council, in a 5-0 vote, recently adopted the borough’s budget for 2019, managing to hold the line on taxes despite continued financial concerns.
“At some point in time, we’re going to have to bite the bullet, and we’re going to have to raise some taxes somewhere,” Councilman Lester Ward said. “This year, we didn’t do it, but next year, we’re looking at trying to raise some revenue.”
Councilman Jim Lawver, who has voiced concerns about the borough’s budget and argued in favor of increased funding for street improvements in the past, expressed appreciation for the budget including $100,000 to that end.
“That’ll get something done,” Lawver said.
“We have a list of roads (to focus on),” Council President Jack Lawver said. ” … Get them done, and we’ll show the people we’re doing something.”
Council also voted unanimously on Dec. 12 to request a tax anticipation note totaling $75,000, which Ward noted was “something we do almost on a yearly basis.”
“(It’s for) during the lean period from January through the first tax collection so that we’ll be able to pay our bills,” Ward explained. “Last year, we got the same loan.”
The borough’s last payment on its previous tax anticipation note came in May or June last year, borough Secretary Jef Wilhelm noted.
“If we don’t need it, we don’t use it,” Ward said after Jack Lawver recalled that the borough used just enough loan monies to get it through last year as well.
In related business, council by another 5-0 tally approved designating Wilhelm as the borough’s grant writer, a duty that Jack Lawver said would be performed in Wilhelm’s time off since he’s not a full-time employee.
Jack Lawver added that Wilhelm would be paid in administrative fees.
“We thought that might be a good way to start to see if we can get some grant monies for different things,” Lawver said. “And that’s where we start writing things down that we want to see and put some dollars with it … It won’t cost us anything other than administrative costs if Jef can secure the grant.”
“We weren’t able to raise some taxes (so) we have to find money somewhere,” Ward said. ” … If we don’t go out and try for these grants, we won’t get them.”
Council members Ron Bakewell and Tracy Sheehan Zivkovich were absent from the meeting.