PETERSBURG – Upper Township Administrator Gary DeMarzo said residents will be happy with the 2023 municipal budget once the final numbers are in.
DeMarzo was clarifying a brief discussion that happened between Committeeman Curtis Corson and Mayor Jay Newman at the Jan. 23 Upper Township Committee meeting.
DeMarzo said Corson had just come from a budget meeting when he commented from the dais about needing to cut $200,000 from the budget to stay under the state-mandated spending cap. DeMarzo said Corson’s comment and the mayor’s response were not about a problem, but about a process.
“That was a small anomaly in the $14 million (budget) that we run,” DeMarzo said.
DeMarzo told the Herald Feb. 1 that the budget will come in under the caps.
“(The budget) is a work in progress, and I think the public will be pleased with the results, and it will come in under all the caps,” he said.
DeMarzo said he, Chief Financial Officer Barbara Ludy, and municipal auditor Leon Costello have been working on the budget since October 2022 and will have some numbers to present at the budget workshop, Feb. 13.
He noted that at that meeting, they will discuss introducing the budget, and then adoption, which will take place after a public hearing.
He said Corson’s comment about cutting $200,000 was “just a moment in time” that is no longer part of the equation.
“We will present the budget, and the public will be very satisfied on Feb. 13,” DeMarzo said.
DeMarzo said the budget will grow, as is expected, because the costs tend to go up. This year, he said, the state announced a 23% increase in health care costs. He said there are also capital projects that require funding, but Upper Township always runs a very conservative budget.
DeMarzo said he has seen other municipalities’ budgets over the years and sees the Upper Township budget as being one of the most conservative.
DeMarzo said the budget outlook reflects numbers that are very conservative for both 2023 and 2024, with some capital improvements and bonding expected for this year.
DeMarzo said it’s important to understand that for every $1,000 residents pay in taxes, only $120 goes into the municipal coffers. Still, he feels Upper Township residents are getting a lot of bang for their buck.
“In Upper Township, the taxpayers get a tremendous value for what they are paying,” he said.
“We will probably have the best budget in the county. Stay tuned,” he added.
Upper Township will have a budget workshop Feb. 13 at 5:30 p.m., followed by the regular committee meeting at 6:30 p.m.
Thoughts? Questions? Contact the author at csouth@cmcherald.com or call 609-886-8600 ext. 128.
