Council also moved forward with a change to alcohol regulations and established youth fire auxiliary
Palmyra Borough Council voted unanimously at its April 16 meeting to adopt the 2018 municipal budget, which includes a 1.99 percent tax increase for residents.
Residents with an averaged assessed home of $147,600 will pay $35 more compared to last year under the approved budget. In total, the average homeowner will pay about $1,800 in local purpose tax, according to the borough’s website.
There were no comments from the public regarding the budget during the Council meeting, Borough Administrator John Gural said.
The 2018 total general budget is just more than $8.7 million, which represents an increase of about $600,000 from last year’s adopted budget. The total to be raised through taxation for the 2018 budget is about $5.8 million, according to numbers posted on the borough’s website.
Mayor Michelle Arnold previously told The Sun the tax increase is “conservative” and relatively consistent with past borough budgets.
She said the increase is mainly to step up maintenance of public buildings, parks and infrastructure within the borough.
One of the major projects is the reconstruction of Temple Boulevard. Officials are in the final planning stages for that project.
The budget that was adopted April 16 was unchanged from the one that was introduced March 17, Gural said.
In other news:
· Borough Council moved forward with a plan to allow bars, restaurants and retail distributors to sell alcohol two-and-a-half hours earlier on Sundays. The proposal would also extend regulations governing the sale of alcohol at private clubs.
Currently, establishments in Palmyra with liquor licenses cannot begin selling or serving alcoholic beverages until 12:30 p.m. on Sundays. Under the change introduced April 16, businesses would be able to start at 10 a.m.
The ordinance would also extend hours-of-operation restrictions to private clubs that sell or serve alcohol.
“In other words, club license holders would be permitted to serve alcoholic beverages at the same hours as bars,” Gural said. “Club license holders were previously unrestricted.”
Gural said the Knights of Columbus location on Broad Street is the only private club with an alcohol license in Palmyra.
The proposed changes to alcohol regulations are scheduled for a public hearing and final vote at the Council’s May 21 meeting.
· Council also established a Junior Firefighter Auxiliary within the Palmyra Fire Department.
Teenagers between the ages of 14 and 18 will be able to join the auxiliary with permission from a parent or guardian. The idea is that some of the teenagers will eventually volunteer as firefighters after serving in the auxiliary, according to the ordinance.
Those under the age of 16 will be limited to attending meetings, observing firefighters in action and participating in training that does not involve fire or smoke.
Members of the auxiliary who are 16 and older will be allowed to ride along in trucks with firefighters and perform specific duties at the site of a fire provided they have already received training.
