Blawnox officials plan to hold the line on real estate taxes next year while restoring the borough’s paving program.
Council voted 4-0 to advertise its preliminary 2025 spending plan of about $1.65 million.
Council President Deborah Laskey and members Mark Lombardi and Elaine Palmer were absent.
Budget documents suggest the millage rate will remain 10.85 mills.
Council raised taxes by 1 mill for the 2023 budget.
Expected income includes about $830,000 in real estate taxes, $316,000 in Act 511 taxes including earned income and local service tax, $130,000 from the sewer fund, $56,000 in intergovernmental funds, $48,300 in interest and rents, $27,100 in licenses and permits, $26,300 in charges for service and $8,750 in fines.
Projected spending includes $309,000 for public works, $186,000 for employee benefits, $173,400 for debt service, $44,000 for government building, $23,000 for tax collection, $22,000 for engineering, $20,500 for parks and recreation, and $20,000 for legal services.
The borough budgeted $150,000 for paving with plans to repair North Avenue from Walnut Street to Woodlawn Road.
Borough Manager Kathy Ulanowicz said it was important to address aging roads again.
“If you don’t pave a road a year or every couple of years, then you have to do them all at one time,” she said. “We sure can’t do that. We have to be able to budget some funding to pave so that we can keep the roads in good condition.”
There were no paving or park projects last year. Those funds were used for water and sewer upgrades.
Matthew Stanczak, councilman and finance committee chair, lauded Ulanowicz for carefully crafting the budget with input from various department heads.
“We’re keeping an eye on our expenses during these times with inflation and holding (things) steady,” Stanczak said. “We’re able to manage borough programs to within budget expectations, and that helps us to free up some of these funds for paving programs.
“We start (budget planning in) August, and then we do iterative revisions each month.”
The biggest expense increase expected for the coming year is for law enforcement.
The borough budgeted about $295,000 for police services this year.
Blawnox and O’Hara councils recently approved an agreement to have borough officers join the township force starting Jan. 1.
The intergovernmental agreement was done in an effort to boost manpower and coverage.
Blawnox is projected to pay about $459,300 to O’Hara next year as part of the deal.
“It’s not materially more expensive,” Stanczak said. “We are paying to O’Hara about what we’re saving in having our own police force. We’re not seeing a swing in the budget.”
Blawnox also budgeted $42,500 for a social worker.
Borough officials said that person would be able to provide residents with assistance and address needs that police officers may not be trained for.
O’Hara has a social worker and a human services department within its police department. However, it is a separate entity.
Ulanowicz said she expects the township will assist in the Blawnox social worker search.
The budget is available for inspection at the borough office, 376 Freeport Road.
Ulanowicz said she does not anticipate any changes leading up to its formal adoption Dec. 11.
“It’s a pretty bare-bones budget,” she siad. “We’re trying to make sure we have police coverage that we can maintain and do the things that we need to do. There’s not a whole lot of extra. That paving is really important to continue.”
Wish list
Ulanowicz unveiled an estimated $167,000 “wish list” Nov. 13 for Blawnox Community Park.
Those projects include a new pavilion, pickleball courts, additional fencing and signage, a mural, bicycle fixing station and a tot lot.
The manager said the tot lot would be a play area for the youngest residents.
None of those initiatives are in the budget.
“We’re hoping to be able to find some grants to be able to do some of those projects,” Ulanowicz said.