Bellefonte considers changing taxes, fees

Jessica VanderKolk

BELLEFONTE — Proposals for a slight decrease in parks and recreation taxes and in increase in recycling fees were revealed in further discussion of the 2010 budget during Monday's Borough Council meeting.

Finance Director Lori Walker and borough Manager Ralph Stewart updated the council on several funds, as it prepares to vote on the final figures for next year.

Walker proposed a .05-mill decrease in parks and recreation fund taxes, about $3,900. She said she hopes the decrease will help offset the previously- proposed $17,975 increase for fire equipment, to help pay for the borough’s new fire truck.

Walker reported an expected $122,000 in highway revenue, which will help fund minor equipment purchases and paving projects, thanks to a decrease in the price of road salt. Stewart said salt cost the borough more than $100 per ton last year and the price has decreased to about $50 per ton this year.

“So we’ll see some savings there for sure,” he said. As a result, he said the borough hopes to determine potential street paving projects, take bids in the spring and complete them early next summer.

Walker described the fund for the Robert Kepler Memorial Pool at Governors Park as “up in the air.” It faces a $28,000 loss this year, $17,307 of that from the Bellefonte Family YMCA.

“The weather this year was not good for swimming,” Stewart said.

In the refuse fund, which stands to lose money this year, a worker retirement likely will help fund a new type of garbage truck for the borough, which requires only one person to drive and load.

“It’s pretty well maintenance-free,” said Councilman Joe Beigle who, with Stewart, saw the truck. “The operation of it is pretty slick.”

The borough proposes a $1- per-quarter increase in the borough recycling fee, currently $6 per quarter.

Stewart said the borough is losing money on the mandated service, but wants to narrow the gap between the public fee and what the borough pays Centre County to pick up and sell the materials.

The borough also proposes an increase to the pickup fee for grass clippings, from the current $60 per season to $75.

Stewart said he hopes to have budget information on the rest of the borough funds by the next council meeting.