As we learned in the Friday, Oct. 17, edition of the Butler Eagle, Valencia Borough Council is looking at how to continue police coverage for the municipality.

Currently, the borough has a contract with Adams Township, but that expires at the end of 2025. A possible budget shortfall has council members trying to negotiate a new rate with Adams Township or contract with Saxonburg instead.

“Our solvency and our ability to pay for emergency services is, I think, our number one issue,” according to Shanon McKenna, a member of borough council. “We have to make a decision about what quality of emergency services we are required to provide.”

The borough is also considering eliminating police coverage and instead relying on the state police.

At issue is the cost and Valencia’s limited tax base.

“Our expenses are severely exceeding our income, and it’s doing that because of our limitations and our ability to collect taxes,” McKenna said.

In addition to negotiations with Adams Township and Saxonburg, borough council members are also hoping to meet with representatives from St. Barnabas Health System to talk about contributing to the borough.

St. Barnabas owns two senior living facilities — The Arbors and The Woodlands — that take up a combined 126.031 acres in the roughly 218-acre borough.

Because St. Barnabas is a nonprofit, it is tax exempt. Council member Joshua Zimmerman explained why the borough was asking for the contribution.

“Services are getting more expensive. They increase year over year. Unfortunately, our income is stagnant,” Zimmerman said. “Any property tax we would get is stagnant. It’s not going up.”

Valencia isn’t the only municipality in the county facing similar problems. It’s good to see council members doing everything they can to find the money to pay for services the community desperately needs.

— JK