Harrisburg budget boosts police, not taxes
by JOHN LUCIEW / Of The Patriot-News, 11/27/07 8:44 PM EST
UPDATED: 11/28/07 8:15 AM EST
The number of Harrisburg police officers would grow, but property taxes wouldn’t increase under a 2008 budget unveiled Tuesday night by Mayor Stephen R. Reed.
“This budget begins to restore various city agencies from the budget cuts they suffered over the last four years,” Reed told City Council, which will hold hearings on the budget next month.
The budget calls for adding 15 police officers, bringing the city’s force to 173 officers by spring.
Officers also would be riding in new patrol vehicles, as the city long known for its high-mileage cop cars is purchasing 53 new police vehicles, consisting of 19 marked and 17 unmarked cars, 13 four-wheel drive units and four vans, Reed said.
Also being added are seven firefighters, including three new positions, along with several more hires across the city’s public works departments, Reed said.
The budget stands in stark contrast to last year’s spending plan, which was beset by a $13.8 million deficit and led to 32 staff layoffs and a 17 percent real estate tax hike for property owners.
But Reed said Harrisburg’s public services had been cut too close to the bone for too long, with dozens of vacancies going unfilled for years.
“If a crime is being reported, it requires a police officer to respond,” Reed said.
“If there’s a fire, it takes trained firefighters to respond. To remove litter and debris from the streets, it takes a street-sweeper operated by its driver. ... Reduced staff compromises the ability to timely act on the daily and long-term needs of our citizens.”
Despite the increases in services, Harrisburg’s general fund budget, the portion of the city’s overall $111.27 million spending plan that funds city services, is down $975,393, or 1.6 percent, from 2007’s $58.76 million budget.
Reed cited a laundry list of cost controls he has implemented in recent years, including savings on certain insurance costs, reductions in overtime and stabilization of certain energy prices.
Perhaps the biggest difference is the city will not have to pick up the tab for any deficits rung up by its poor-performing trash incinerator in 2008.
In fact, the incinerator is no longer listed as one of the funds making up the overall city budget.
With a $30 million “working capital” financing soon to be in place for the incinerator, the Harrisburg Authority, the city’s utility agency, will have the money to cover the incinerator’s expenses and debt payments through next year while the plant is fixed.
As a result, Harrisburg will not face the multi-million bond payments that fell to the city when the authority did not have the money to pay.
Last year alone, Harrisburg picked up the tab for more than $4 million in bond payments, which will be reimbursed when the $30 million borrowing closes in December.
Reed said that the $13.3 million sale of the Harrisburg Senators minor league baseball club allowed the city to retire millions in debt, leading to significantly lower payments.
“I think it’s a relief for the taxpayers of the City of Harrisburg to know that the majority of the hard fiscal issues and stress are behind us,” Reed said.
The owner of a house assessed at $100,000 will continue to pay $1,010 annually in city taxes.
Dauphin County and city school district taxes are separate.
However, City Council has approved a $14.50 monthly increase in city trash rates, which rise to $32.32 a month in January.
The increase will be reflected in residents’ combined monthly utility bills for water, sewer and trash.
City Council, which did not comment on the budget at Tuesday’s meeting, scheduled public hearings for 5:05 p.m. Dec. 10 in City Hall.
THE BOTTOM LINE
n Harrisburg’s combined levy on land and improvements would not change in 2008 under terms of the budget presented Tuesday night by Mayor Stephen R. Reed.
n The owner of a house assessed at $100,000 would continue to pay $1,010 annually in city taxes, based on a millage rate of 10.1 mills. A mill equals $1 per $1,000 of assessed value.
n Dauphin County and city school district taxes are separate.
JOHN LUCIEW: 717-255-8171 or
jluciew@patriot-news.com
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