Finalized Borough Budget Will Cost Average Resident $48

As expected, the Glen Rock Borough Council voted to approve its $17 million budget last Wednesday, according to a report in The Glen Rock Gazette.

The 2012 budget requires that $12,686,833 be raised in local taxes, well under the allowed 2 percent tax levy.

as one that reduces no services and keeps tax increases at a minimum. The average resident with a home assessed at $550,000 will see municipal taxes rise $48.50 in 2012.

The school board passed a budget that , and reduces the net contribution from residents in the form of less debt service.

The municipal budget was largely balanced by an uptick in revenues. Cell tower revenue was up, as was poll badge fees, recyclables and parking meter fees, among others. At the same time, pensions obligations dropping by $100,000 partially offset increases in salaries and wages (totalling $250,000).

The borough has slated $1.2 million in capital bonding, $880,000 of which is debt service. Plans include repaving roads, $550,000 to renovate the recycling center, a new front loader, a renovation to graffiti-scarred Wilde Park, among others.

No layoffs or increases in staff are projected in the upcoming budget, Borough Administrator Lenora Benjamin previously told Patch. However, one full-time worker in the tax office will see a reduction in hours, she said.