Coopersburg Council Approves 2013 Budget

The Coopersburg Borough Council approved its 2013 spending plan Tuesday but won't be able to set the property tax rate until staff can analyze the results of the Lehigh County property reassessment that they received this week.

Borough Manager Timothy Paashaus said the borough budgeted essentially for the same amount of spending as last year, so he expects the plan to be roughly revenue neutral. But many borough residents will see their taxes go up or down because of updated property values from the county's reassessment. 

Paashaus said he was told that taxes are expected to go up on about 70 percent of the houses in the borough because of the county reassessment.

Coopersburg council is slated to set the tax rate at its Dec. 18 meeting. 

The borough expects to spend $2,981,868 in 2013 and take in revenue of $3,019,700.

Council president Jack Felch described the plan as a "balanced budget."

"Our bottom line shows a surplus of $38,000," said Felch. "This total means that the budget is relatively balanced."

This will be used to start a small rainy day fund to be used if revenue stagnates. Councilman Steve Lundy explained that this amount is an expectation of council, but also that it could change.

"There's some things in here [the budget] that we won't be required to spend all of the estimated expenses," said Lundy. "We have an opportunity to grow that rainy day fund and that should be our goal."

Some of the budget's largest expenses include $636,400 toward the borough's sewer system and $569,625 toward its police department.

Although Felch described these numbers as "very similar to years past," the budget shows an increase in expenses toward the fire company that includes an estimated $6,000 for an audit. 

"We budgeted basically the same income from this year to last year," Paashaus said. "So I guess it would be revenue neutral."