Catch up on the biggest stories in Palmyra this week.
Palmyra’s Borough Council adopted the 2017 budget and a storage debate raised questions at the Land Use Board meeting. Catch up on everything from the past week in the Weekly Roundup.
Palmyra Borough Council adopts 2017 budget with less than 1 percent increase
Palmyra’s Borough Council adopted the 2017 municipal and sewer utility budget at the Monday, April 17 meeting. Residents should expect a nearly 1 percent tax increase equating to $1.20 for every $100 of assessed valuation. For the average assessed home of $147,600, the increase is $16.19 per year. This marks the third consecutive year the borough has increased taxes by less than 1 percent. This year’s budget maintains or expands existing borough services while including a 2 percent salary increase for staff.
Palmyra Storage Wars No More
In January, a complaint accusing the MacDonald family of using their garage for more than just storage forced Palmyra’s zoning official, Tracy Kilmer, to investigate the family’s garage, at which time she found commercial vehicle shop equipment, which she said led her to believe the structure was being used as a “private auto repair garage.” Kilmer found the family in violation of the “storage” wording of a 2005 resolution and offered the family two choices: remove the equipment or rally people to go to the next Land Use Board meeting and dispute the resolution’s wording. The family chose the latter, rallying residents through Facebook and word-of-mouth.
Palmyra to host bird spotting competition
Palmyra Cove Nature Park (PCNP) does the only Burlington County Bird Quest, and this year, it will fall on May 6. The day is a way to discover the unique birds that live in and migrate throughout Burlington County as well as a chance to learn how to identify birds by sight, sound, behavior and habitat. There are usually about 50 participants in the light-hearted competition, and they can bird anywhere in the county from 7 a.m. to noon. Then they all meet at PCNP to have lunch, mingle and go over their bird list, according to the event’s spokeswoman Elizabeth Verna.
