AVALON – In a telephonic governing body meeting April 8, Avalon Borough Council adopted a $28.7 million 2020 budget, which doesn’t require an increase in the current $0.199 local purpose tax rate.
A significant difference in revenues and appropriations for 2020 involves the intended switch of dispatch activities from the borough to county Central Dispatch in 2020. Revenues from a shared dispatch agreement, with Stone Harbor, were missing from the 2020 Avalon budget due to the neighboring borough’s switch to county dispatch, in 2019. Investments are present in the budget to facilitate Avalon’s migration this year.
The borough is achieving a long-term goal in the 2020 budget that will allow for the payoff of general budget long-term debt obligations. The borough will now move to short-term funding for capital projects in the future. Projected capital projects are also supported with a 20% down payment in the budget, four times the state-required 5% down payment.
Capital projects in the water/sewer utility will continue to be funded with a 5% down payment.
The distancing requirements, imposed by the COVID-19 outbreak, did not allow for an in-person meeting. Residents wishing to see the slide presentation for the budget can access it on the borough website.
