Despite two-and-a-half hours of talking, the only new thing we can tell you about the proposed $54.7 million 2018 budget at this point is that there will be more talking.
An additional budget workshop has been scheduled for Monday, Dec. 18 at 5:30 p.m. to keep this rip-roaring conversation going seeing as no decisions were made last night.
Several cost-cutting suggestions brought to the table by Council Vice President Sheryl Miller were reviewed during the course of the meeting and a particular combination of them could bring the tax hike down to 13.39 percent.
But none of them were voted on and Councilman Joe Kirkland had a few more, particularly cutting some positions to part-time.
Kirkland also pushed for a "task force" to look for other ways to cut the budget in the coming year, which could arguably duplicate some of the work the finance committee has ostensibly been doing, but hey, the more the merrier.
Also, Borough Solicitor Charles D. Garner Jr. provided a little more breathing room when he pointed out that the law gives the new borough council until Feb. 15, 2018 to open up the budget passed by this council and make changes to lower the tax rate.
However, the only new voting member of council replaces Miller, who has taken the lead in pushing for cuts, so it remains to be seen what other changes might be made after the final budget is passed.
It is not clear when that may be.
Council President Dan Weand -- who pretended that no one could see all the assessment challenges that came this year, along with the sale of the hospital, despite warnings going back to 2007 -- said if he has to, he will have council meet on New Year's Eve to pass a budget.
Also of significance to the budget was the announcement by Borough Manager Mark Flanders that he was contacted by Zach Lehman, headmaster at The Hill School, who told him the school will donate $100,000 in 2018 toward the purchase of new police cars.
And now, without further ado, THE TWEETS!
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