Butler Municipal Taxes Could Increase $45 For Average Home

The Butler Borough Council voted unanimously to introduce its 2013 municipal budget on March 19 as one council member said he is waiting to see how much money is available before being able to say what borough road projects will be completed this year.

The introduced budget, as Council President Edwin Vath explained, totals $10,492,539 and came in just under the 2 percent state-mandated increase cap at 1.998 percent higher than last year's budget. The council's Finance Committee and CFO Jim Kozimor began drafting the 2013 municipal budget in January.

Under the introduced budget, taxes on the average assessed home of $251,793 in the borough would increase by $45.33. Vath was proud to say that the introduced budget also reflects a year-over-year maintenance of what the borough provides to taxpayers.

"This budget reflects no loss of services to any of our residents," he said.

Mayor Robert Alviene thanked the Finance Committee for their work on the budget.

"It was a really good and diligent job done by everyone," he said.

As Councilman Bob Fox prepared to give an update on the council's Roads Committee, he noted that until it is more clearly defined how much money will be available to spend on road projects this year, he is unable to say what will be prioritized.

"Once we get the budget straight, we'll see what roads, what condition they are and what we can do this year," he said.

One priority he did note, however, is filling potholes throughout the borough.

"There's a lot of potholes and we need to address those first," he said.

Tell us: What road repairs do you think should be a priority in Butler? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.