MERCER COUNTY Sharpsville council includes in budget a rise in water rate

The average water bill will go up about $2.50 a month.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
SHARPSVILLE, Pa. -- Borough residents won't see a property tax increase in 2005, but their water bills will be going up 8.7 percent based on preliminary budgets presented by borough council.
Council voted 5-2 on Wednesday to present the budgets for public display. Final approval will come in December.
Council members Luann Anglin and Alex Kovach cast the dissenting votes.
Both said they had concerns about some expenditures included in the general fund, and Anglin said she also opposes the water-rate increase.
Gus Grandy, Robert Piccirilli, Jack Cardwell, Guy Moderelli and Thomas Lally voted to display the budget as presented.
Sharpsville owns and operates its own water plant. Borough Manager Michael Wilson said projections for 2005 show the water fund will run about $50,000 short of cash.
That's after $80,000 earmarked for capital improvements also is moved into operations to cover expenses, he said.
Based on consumption
Water bills are based on consumption, but Wilson said the average residential water bill runs about $28 a month. An 8.7-percent increase would raise that to about $30.50 a month.
Wilson said there are no increases in staff planned for 2005 and current services will be retained.
Grandy, who is council president, said he anticipates a lot of changes will be made in the budget before final adoption. He set council work sessions on the spending plan for 7 p.m. Wednesday and Nov. 23.
The various budgets show (with 2004 budgeted figures in parentheses) the general fund at $1,193,751 ($1,104,458); the water department at $821,627 ($639,652); the sewer fund at $658,476 ($645,519); the highway fund at 84,954 ($82,768); and the streetlighting fund at $49,000 ($48,000).
Real estate taxes will remain at 20.7 mills with 17.7 mills supporting the general fund, 1 mill going for debt service, 1.35 mills for street lighting and 0.67 of a mill for the fire department.
One mill generates about $28,000 in revenue and costs the average residential taxpayer about $17 a year.
In other business, council hired James Erme of Hermitage as a borough patrolman to fill a vacancy. Erme, a military veteran, scored at the top of the civil service commission test. He will start at a salary of $19,500 a year.
A closer look
A breakdown of the proposed 2005 general fund budget shows (with 2004 figures in parentheses):
Major expenditures
Police department: $498,862 ($470,149).
Street department: $319,810 ($282,430).
Administration: $271,298 ($260,416).
Major revenue sources
Real estate taxes $485,000 ($482,444).
Earned income taxes $300,000 ($290,000).
Cable TV franchise fee: $50,000 ($45,000).
Foreign fire and casualty refund: $75,000 ($81,284).