Published Tuesday, December 24, 2002
Herald Staff Writer
Taxpayers in the city of Sharon can expect to add an additional $71 to $100 to their tax bill in 2003.
Sharon council approved the $8,020,994 budget by a 4 to 1 vote Monday. Councilman Lou Rotunno voted no.
Rotunno said he doesn't think council and city administrators are creative enough with the budget, and he doesn't think a large increase is necessary.
As promised last week by Council President Fred Hoffman, the majority of council supported a 5.5-mill property tax increase without laying off any city employees.
The tax increase will generate $530,686 for the city. That brings the total millage to 42.5. A mill of taxes generates $96,500 for the city.
A mill is $1 for every $1,000 of a property's assessed 1970 market value. A mill costs the average taxpayer $12.67, so the increase will mean $71 more a year, according to city figures.
Hoffman said he was told by Michael DeForest, director of the county revenue department, that the increase would cost the average taxpayer closer to $100.
The original proposed budget called for the layoffs of two men each in the street, fire and police departments. Council said they would not support layoffs and spent over three hours Thursday trimming over $230,000 from the budget.
Though resident Carol Swartz said she appreciates all of the hard work council the administration put in the budget, she said financially it's going to be hard on the taxpayers. "I don't know how we're gonna come up with the money," she said.
The money council trimmed is enough to temporarily save all six jobs and keep the complement for the fire and police departments the same. Mayor David O. Ryan said the budget is very tight, and jobs could be cut if the city gets into a financial crunch later in the year.
"It's no secret that this budget is tighter than a tick on a tiger's tail," Councilman Raymond Fabian said. He said it takes two good budgets to make up for one bad budget.
"We're two budgets away from being like Greenville," he said.
"It's council's fault, over a period of years, that we got in this position," Councilwoman Chris Outrakis said. She said for years council was presented with a budget, and council didn't do the right things with those budgets.
Fabian said he didn't hear citizen complaints about the tax increase because most people are happy to keep the safety services. Hoffman said he also heard "overwhelming" responses from citizens who wanted to keep the jobs in the police and fire departments.
Rotunno said everyone he knows is upset about the tax increase.
Mrs. Swartz was the only resident to speak at the meeting.
City officials learned Friday morning that worker's compensation insurance was going to increase $26,000 next year. Council also voted to remain in the Pennsylvania League of Cities at a cost of $4,549 a year. Originally council cut the League of Cities dues from the budget.
Councilman George Gulla said he thinks the league is "too strong of a vehicle to do away with."
"I personally think it's a waste of money," Hoffman said. Councilman Lou Rotunno agreed; both men voted not to stay in the League of Cities.
City Finance Director Michael Gasparich said the money for worker's compensation and the League of Cities dues will be taken from unappropriated money.
You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Kristen Garrett at
kgarrett@sharonherald.com