CLEARFIELD – Clearfield Borough’s 2007 budget passed in a close vote Thursday night.
Council’s 4-to-3 vote came after Rodger D. Baumgardner, Third Ward representative, read a list of about 20 Clearfield County municipalities that approved their respective 2007 budgets without a tax increase.
Clearfield Borough’s budget calls for a 1-mill tax increase, or about $12.50 more on the tax bill for a $50,000 home, according to the borough’s Web site. The budget also requires a $2 per 1,000 gallon water surcharge increase. According to the site, that amounts to $4 per month for the average borough user’s water bill.
Baumgarder said Clearfield Borough is facing the same hardships as other municipalities in the county, including higher health care costs, higher salaries and increased fuel prices.
“We say we want to bring people into Clearfield and fill empty houses and open up new businesses,” Baumgardner said. “Why would anyone want to move here with this kind of a cost of living?”
He then hit upon the borough’s 5-percent amusement tax.
“Even if you manage to pay all your bills and can go out, we actually have an amusement tax to take the fun out of that, too.”
Mike Errigo, Second Ward representative, asked Baumgardner which items he would change in the budget.
“We went through every line item,” said Finance Committee Chair and First Ward Representative Susan Reed. At previous meetings, Reed noted that the original 2007 budget was in the red by $119,302.65, and work by council members pared down the original figures.
Patty Gilliland, mayor, said that perhaps if the sanitary sewer project had been done years ago, the borough could have saved money and not raise taxes.
The more than $6.6 million budget was approved by Clearfield Borough Council President Jim Leitzinger,Third Ward; John Naddeo, Second Ward; Errigo; and Reed.
Voting against the budget were Baumgardner; Joan McMillen, First Ward; and Barry Reddinger, Fourth Ward.
Phillip Biancuzzo, Fourth Ward, was absent from Thursday’s meeting.
