Harrisville Borough adopts 2023 budget
HARRISVILLE — Council passed the 2023 budget Monday evening 5-1.
The budget includes expenses totaling $321,887.02 and an income of $228,535.24.
The final 2023 budget, which includes no tax increase, comes just months before the 2024 budget is planned to be discussed.
Councilperson Mary Ann Hughes opposed passing the approved budget, expressing procedural concerns over last meeting’s executive session — on June 5 — in which discussion around capping police hours was brought on without prior notice on the agenda. No residents were present after council reconvened following the executive session. The public was not aware that action was being taken on limiting police hours.
“We did not state that to the audience. So they had no knowledge. Neither did I,” Hughes said.
Since the issue of capping police hours was not on the agenda and previously discussed among council members, Hughes said she would not vote for the budget to pass.
The issue of police hours will go back on next month’s regular agenda, borough clerk Doug Cook said.
Cook shared that an email from John Rusherford, the borough attorney, stated that the discussion around police hours is not considered an official action since it was not listed on the agenda.
Moving forward, council will ensure that the public is made aware that they can be present for actions taken following executive sessions, said Cook.
“What we’re going to do going forward is when we have our regular meeting, and we go into executive session, the president or myself is going to announce [it] to the public,” he said.
- Council discussed the implementation of a local services tax, which would impact people who work within Harrisville at $1 a week yearlong. Those tax dollars contribute funds to things like emergency services, road paving and local projects, council member Dave Evans said. Evans said that 75% of that tax goes towards the borough’s general fund.
- Council also discussed pavement repair, maintenance truck repair, pumping a storm drain on Henry Street, cleaning a pump station on Route 8 and purchasing trash cans for the borough.
- Snyder said that council will discuss the possibility of appointing another council member to a vacant seat.
- Will McCoy, budget committee chairperson, discussed the possibility of reviewing the amended Harrisville police contract with Marion Township. McCoy said that when the original contract was renegotiated last year, the addendum was not voted on in council or looked at by a solicitor.
These items, along with the issue of capping police hours, will be further discussed at next month’s council meeting on Monday, July 3.
