Swarthmore Borough Council Considers 2020 Budget
Next year’s budget was the main order of business discussed at Swarthmore Borough Council’s December 2 work session. According to the proposed budget for 2020, overall millage rates — the amount of tax that residents must pay for each dollar of the assessed value of their property — will not change in the coming year. The overall rate will stay at 5.673.
The way the borough allocates the funds will change somewhat, however, with the fire department getting a notable increase. The amount of money the fire department receives from the borough will rise from $240,000 to $300,000 in 2020, a jump of 25%. This is to make up for a decrease in funds from a three-year federal grant — a Federal Emergency Management Agency Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) award — the department won in 2017. As implied by its name, the purpose of the grant is to allow fire departments to hire more personnel. In the case of the Swarthmore fire department, the grant made it possible for paid staff to double from two full-time-equivalent employees to four, according to Borough Manager Jane Billings.
The amount of money provided by the grant decreases year by year, and the borough is stepping in to make up the difference. Earlier in 2019, the council paid down some debt service in order to free up funds for this purpose. When the SAFER grant runs out next year, council is likely to revisit the question of staffing levels for the fire department, Billings said.
At the December 2 meeting, Billings pointed out that only part of the fire company’s budget is funded by taxes. The rest comes from donations and fundraisers. The fire company’s overall budget for 2020 is $695,000.
Trash and Sewer Fees to Rise
While millage rates are not increasing, residents will see increases in their bills for trash collection and sanitary sewers. The companies providing these services have raised the fees they charge the borough, which passes on the cost to taxpayers. Trash fees will rise 8.35% (to $415 per household) and sanitary sewer fees will go up 7.5% (to $605 for an average household).
The council also proposed to:
Adopt an updated property maintenance code with improved enforcement mechanisms.
Accept the lowest bid for remodeling the borough office to make it safer for employees ($12,014, from Boedco Construction).
Approve a new schedule of fees, including the elimination of the permit fee to repair a sidewalk.
Borough Works with Senior Citizens Committee on Sidewalks
Getting rid of the sidewalk permit fee was the result of a request by the Sidewalk Committee of the Swarthmore Senior Citizens Association (SSCA), led by Judith Owen. Alert to the importance of safe sidewalks in enabling senior citizens to get around town, the SSCA Sidewalk Committee met in June with Borough Manager Jane Billings and Ross Schmucki, chair of council’s Public Works Committee, to discuss sidewalk regulation and repair. On November 21, the same committee spoke at the Borough Council Public Works Committee public meeting, which includes council members Mary Walk and Lauren McKinney.
Homeowners in the borough are responsible for maintaining their own sidewalks, and the borough code is precise in its specifications. The borough’s code enforcement officer is charged with inspecting sidewalks and marking ones considered to be dangerously out of compliance. “It’s a harder job than it looks,” Billings says. Swarthmore is often praised as a walkable town, but uneven, ice-covered, or tree-limb-impeded sidewalks can be treacherous. According to Billings, “Everyone who has had trouble walking, or pushing a baby carriage, can see that the sidewalk issue is really important.” She reports people calling the borough office to say that they can’t go outside in the winter if snow shoveling regulations are not enforced.
At the same time, repairing a sidewalk can be expensive. The elimination of the permit fee is intended to help make it easier for homeowners to meet the cost of repairs.
The borough will also send out a more comprehensive correction notice to residents who need to fix their sidewalks. The notice will contain information about local contractors, address the intertwined issue of sidewalks and street trees, and offer links to regulations and guidance.
“We are delighted to learn that this suggestion has been accepted,” said Owen on behalf of the SSCA committee, which also includes Bill Davis, Carol Kennedy, Sharon Lee, Berenice Saxon, and Linton Stables.
The council will vote on the budget at the upcoming legislative session on Monday, December 16, at 7:30 p.m. A copy of the budget is available on the borough website (go to “government,” then “borough council and the mayor,” then “pending ordinances and resolutions”) and at the public library.
