Brooks and Brown

Brooks and Brown

Mayor says he will ‘be looking at more of those numbers’

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<p>McBride</p>

McBride

<p>Marconi</p>

Marconi

WILKES-BARRE — When Mayor George Brown took a look at the amended budget city council approved Tuesday night some numbers looked familiar and then some.

The sewer maintenance and recycling fee increases that a majority of council opposed not only remained in the budget, they also included additional revenues and accounted for a $1.1 million surplus, Brown said.

“When I looked at these numbers, I’m thinking to myself this is unbelievable,” Brown said when contacted after the special meeting to approve the amended budget listing $53.9 million in revenues and $52.8 million in expenses.

Council’s version contained a line item of $2.9 million for sewer maintenance revenues, higher than the $2.6 million Brown initially proposed in his by $53.2 million balanced budget.

Council also included a line item of $1.75 million for recycling fee revenues compared to the $1.45 million Brown asked for.

The doubling of the annual fees to $100 met with strong opposition from council Vice Chairman Tony Brooks and council members John Marconi and Beth Gilbert McBride. They formed a three-vote majority to reject Brown’s budget and guide their amended version through to passage.

Council Chairman Bill Barrett and councilman Mike Belusko voted against the budget that should take effect on Jan. 8, 2021, 10 days after it was approved in a second and final reading of the ordinance Tuesday. Brown could step back in to the process after being shut out by the majority, however.

“It’s been voted on,” Brown said. “The only other option is if I veto it. I’m going to be looking at more of those numbers.”

Brooks stood by the budget he had a hand in crafting.

Council approved raising the fees to $75, still lower than what Brown offered in an effort to avoid the layoffs and service cuts he said would happen without the revenues generated by the higher charges. It added another $300,000 to each line item from the estimated $600,000 owed from past due accounts.

“We were opposed to the mayor doubling the sewer fee and the recycling fee. Our original vote was zero (fee increases),” Brooks said after the meeting. “Then we met the mayor halfway and then we amended the sewer and recycling fee to include the delinquent fee.”

To further put the budget on solid footing, council approved increasing the rental inspection fee to $100 from $75, adding $100,000 more in revenues from fines and cutting $200,000 each from the overtime and workers compensation.

But Brown pointed out the higher rental inspection fee was not factored into the amended budget. The line item remained at $200,000.

Earlier this month Brown said the city collected approximately $250,000 in late fees after sending out notices of liens being filed against the outstanding accounts. Many of the accounts were almost 10 years old, leaving the city with little expectation of collecting them, he said.

Still council included the full $600,000 in its amended budget.

When brought to Brooks’ attention, he said he wants the mayor to give a report to council on all the fees the city collected.

Brown responded that he wasn’t bothered by the addition of the $300,000 to the revenue line items for the recycling and maintenance fees. The issue for Brown was council passing a budget with $25 annual fees increases, but listing revenues at the higher $50 fee that he wanted in the first place.

“They didn’t put the right numbers in their own budget,” Brown said.

Apart from the general fund budget amendments, city council approved an amended Community Development Block Grant Consolidated Plan for Program Year 2020. The city established an Emergency Resident Assistance Program that makes available $100,000 in federal funds for residents to pay their utility bills.

Initially, $60,000 was allocated to the program from the $1.2 million in funding the city received through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security or CARES Act. Residents who can show their daily living expenses increased as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic are eligible to receive up to $1,200 or six months of utility payments.

Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott.