Verona Officials Work to Close a $70,000 Deficit in the 2012 Budget

Despite a large deficit in Verona Borough's preliminary budget, officials aren't anticipating a real estate tax increase.

At Tuesday's borough council meeting, officials voted 5-1 to pass a preliminary $1.1 million 2012 budget that includes a deficit of about $70,000. Councilwoman Peggy Suchevich dissented, saying she wouldn't pass a budget showing the borough in the hole. Councilman Stan Adamski was absent.

Officials now have to work out the kinks in the budget before approving a final version at the Dec. 27 council meeting. The current version will be advertised and displayed at the borough building for 10 days beginning on Friday.

Despite the large deficit, Councilwoman Sandra Drabicki-Bell said officials would not raise real estate taxes.

"We're not raising the millage," she said. "We're going to have to do a lot of cutting."

The current millage rate is 8.0 mills, meaning a resident would pay $800 for every $100,000 of assesed property value.

Councilwoman Rhoda Gemellas-Worf, chair of the finance committee, said she's been trying to get the committee to meet and begin the budget process since June.

"You can't even call this a budget," she said. "It's a profit and loss statement. We need to match actuals with projections. We've never done that."

The finance committee—Drabicki-Bell, Gemellas-Worf and Councilman Tony Futules—is set to meet with borough manager Bonnie Conway on Dec. 21.

Mayor Dave Ricupero urged council to begin the budget process earlier next year.

"The budgets, you're supposed to start them in October," he said. "You don't wait until the end of the year and then try to figure out the budget. Now, the people on the committee have to sit there and go through every (discrepancy)."

Nick Futules, Allegheny County councilman and former Verona councilman, suggested that officials begin checking the status of the budget on a monthly basis and holding public budget hearings in coming years to give residents a chance to view and discuss line items on the budget.

"I think it would be a good thing for this borough to start this practice," he said. "You want to be as transparent to your constituents as you can."