Mayor's Message 12/7/22
Published on December 07, 2022
Good evening.
Right before this meeting, we held our second annual Tree Lighting Ceremony in the municipal lot #1 across the street. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped us usher in the holiday spirit. As we close out on the end of the year there are some other holiday events which are occurring this week that I would like to share:
Upper Darby Township is participating in the Upper Darby Arts and Education Foundation's Toy Drive. One of the drop boxes for toys will be open in the municipal building during business hours 9-4:30 on Mondays-Fridays. Any new toys (still in their packaging) are greatly appreciated for the children in our local community! Toys will be accepted through December 16th. For more information please call 610-321-3535.
This coming Sunday December 11th from 1-3pm, the Friends of the Swedish Cabin are hosting their "Trim-a-Tree Christmas Party" at the Swedish Cabin! Participants can come and enjoy decorating the cabin’s Christmas tree. Admission is free for the day and there will be refreshments as well. Also on Sunday, the Marine Corps League at 1026 Providence Road in Secane will host their annual Christmas Toy and Food Collection from noon until 4 pm. Cost of admission is a $10 or better toy, or cash equivalent. Actual food will not be collected, as the detachment prefers to give gift cards to local Super markets to the local families being assisted. Food and refreshments are provided, the museum will be open, and Santa will make his annual appearance between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm.
I’d like to talk about the budget resolution and the tax ordinance on tonight’s agenda. We’ve had a budget presentation and two budget hearings in this room over the last six weeks. My administration and leadership team has worked diligently to put this budget together responsibly and openly.
Members of my administration have been meeting with various members of council since the end of September. To maintain public safety and municipal services, reflect union contracts and address inflation, my final budget proposal is a 2.7% tax increase and an allocation of $2.5 million from the American Rescue Plan revenue replacement funds. Currently, we have $11.7 million dollars of revenue replacement money sitting in a bank account. The revenue replacement calculation is from a federal formula. Revenue replacement is a valid expenditure of the funds. UHY, the firm we hired to insure our compliance in using ARPA funds has verified our revenue replacement number. Again, we have $11.7 million dollars budgeted for revenue replacement. I am asking council for $2.5 million of these funds to offset expenses. Repeatedly over this year, five times, the slim majority of council have refused to release the funds. The ARPA money belongs to the community and should be used to benefit the community.
Over the last two fiscal years we have not increased taxes for residents. To maintain our high quality of public safety and municipal services however, the federal government has provided this money to our community and has deemed through their calculations that Upper Darby lost roughly $11 million in revenue. I urge Council to approve the revenue replacement ordinance which calls for the release of $2.5 million dollars. I’m advocating for a 2.7% tax increase so that we can begin to work on our long term structural deficits while not unnecessarily burdening our residents with the cost as we seamlessly continue to provide world class municipal services to our community.
Just to be clear:
We have had 3 public meetings on the 2023 budget: the budget presentation in October and 2 public hearings in November and there was no public expression of concern by anyone on the Finance Committee about the proposed budget.
Acting Finance Director Donna Stilwell has been very consistent about the budgetary realities of our township: payroll and benefits, municipal services and inflation.
I spoke with Council President Burke two Sundays ago about using revenue replacement funds to cover critical municipal services and when there was no further discussion and no mention of an ARPA revenue replacement ordinance on the preliminary agenda, I created one which will be introduced tonight
A slim majority of council has voted down revenue replacement fund ordinances five times this year
As a show of good faith, I’d like council to amend the revenue replacement ordinance to reflect the $2.5 million needed to create the budget that I support. A budget that maintains our public safety and municipal services.
Last night I attended a meeting with the Finance Committee, Acting Finance Director Donna Stilwell and Controller Diane Scutti where critical changes to the proposed budget were discussed and I’d like to bring up Donna Stilwell now to talk about these issues publicly
