Sharon holds line on ’08 taxes

SHARON, Pa. — Changes made throughout this year have led to no tax increase in Mayor Bob Lucas’ proposed 2008 budget.

Lucas said he is projecting the city will earn about $125,000 less revenue next year than they had expected in 2007. The $7.4 million general fund budget was given to city council Thursday. A series of budget hearings will be held this month by city council, and a final budget will be adopted later this month.

Among the cost savings in next year’s budget was the elimination of the city’s contribution to the school crossing guard program and outsourcing the city wage tax office, about a $50,000 savings.

Among the other cuts is a reduction in the city’s contribution to the Community Library of the Shenango Valley. Lucas said the city will continue to pay building maintenance and debt costs which amount to about $42,000. It will not contribute to other operations of the library under the mayor’s proposed budget.

In 2007, the city paid about $160,000 to the library that was used for the building and its internal operations. The library, which had been a city-run operation, was taken over by a nonprofit board of directors in early 2007 when Lucas cut library funding to about half of the previous year’s budget allocation.

Lucas said those cuts were made because of a state-funded study of the city’s finances recommended nearly three years ago that the city divest itself from operating the library to save money.

Jane Sham, library board president, could not be reached Friday to comment.