By Felicia A. Petro
GROVE CITY — Twenty-five years of not raising real estate taxes was celebrated by Grove City council earlier this week when members approved a tentative 2007 budget of $13,861,351, which will be supported by a 4-mill levy.
The spending plan is up from this year’s $13,374,343 budget.
The budget includes electric and water rate increases.
Council had Jim Havrilla, engineer with Quad 3 Group Inc., speak about the electricity hike; and John Schaude, engineer with Gannett Fleming, address the water-rate increase.
In 2007, electricity will increase by $975,000, Havrilla said. That will cost customers an average of 2 cents per kilowatt hour, he said.
Water will cost about $864,000 next yea, Schaude said. To cover that, customers will see an average of $2 extra per month on their bills.
Council approved advertising its intent to raise water and electric rates. Members also approved increasing service fees to turn power on and off and for meters to limit service in the winter months for customers delinquent on their bills.
Before final approval of the electricity proposal, council will discuss adding an adjustment clause to pass on unexpected expenses to customers.
However, members didn’t like the idea of the clause when the electricity issue was discussed at a finance committee meeting earlier this month.
“I feel it took away what council is meant to do. ... We should determine how we’re going to incur that cost,” said Beth Cooney, who chairs the committee.
Large expenditures in the 2007 budget will include designs for improvements for the wastewater treatment plant for $530,000; replacing the electric system on Filer Alley for $400,000; and a new storm sewer on East Pine Street for $375,000.
Also, painting the water tower on George Junior Road for $300,000; renovating the borough building for $200,000; replacing water mains on Madison Avenue for $190,000; the borough’s share toward revitalization for $151,689.
Vance Oakes, borough manager, was pleased with the budget.
Not raising property taxes in the borough for 25 years needed to be “pointed out,” he said. “I feel that’s a milestone.”
It’s Oakes’ first time putting together the budget for the borough after he left the borough manager’s position in Greenville earlier this year to replace Terence Farren in Grove City.
Ms. Cooney commended Oakes on his first Grove City budget. “I think you understand the conservative way this town operates,” she said.
