RIDGWAY — Ridgway Borough Council had its first of three expected budget meetings on Tuesday, discussing a few of the borough’s funds, including the recreation fund, refuse fund and the equipment depreciation fund.
Most of Tuesday’s discussions revolved around the borough’s recreation fund, which could have a significant deficit of up to $32,000.
Although the fund includes expenses for the borough’s parks, nearly $71,000 of the $95,000 in the fund’s budget is allocated for the Lyle G. Hall Community Pool.
To help address the potential deficit with the recreation fund, borough officials are considering increasing rates at the pool. By doing so, borough officials would hope to bring an additional $10,000 into the fund, which would help to narrow the gap.
One reason for increasing the rates would be to have those that use the pool pay more instead of having the taxpayers — many of whom do not use the pool — pay more.
Ridgway Borough Manager Paul McCurdy said the suggestion to increase rates came from some people that use the pool.
If the borough was to implement rate increases and assume a $10,000 increase in revenue, then the deficit for the recreation account would decrease to nearly $22,000.
To help close the gap even further, the borough is looking to decrease some expenses.
In its initial layout of the 2017 budget, the borough included a $4,000 expense to add shade structures around the pool and included a $8,000 expense for security cameras for around the pool.
Councilmen in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting recommended removing these expenses from the fund for 2017, which would lower the deficit to approximately $10,000. This $10,000 expense is expected to come out of the borough’s truck waste fund.
In 2016, the borough used $15,000 from the timber fund to balance the recreation fund.
The pool rates being discussed would aim to bring Ridgway’s pool rates closer to other rates in the area.
For example, the recommendation is to increase family yearly rates from $100 to $200, while daily rates for a child or non-swimmer would increase to $5. Going forward, the borough will look to increase publicity about the pool in hopes of increasing membership.
Also, borough officials are considering using borough property for a campsite that could be used to increase revenue for the recreation fund.
Such a move could be possible with a recreation authority. The borough has ordinances to support a recreation authority, but the group is currently listed as inactive.
In addition to discussing the recreation fund, borough officials also discussed the refuse and equipment depreciation funds.
Borough officials are hoping to purchase a new garbage truck around 2018. Officials are looking to save $50,000 to $100,000 this year to put towards the truck; a new garbage truck will cost approximately $230,000 to $250,000.
Finally, in the equipment depreciation fund, the borough is saving money to purchase a new police vehicle in 2018.
The borough currently has five vehicles, but McCurdy said on Tuesday the borough would look into selling one or two old police cars, although he added the borough receives very little for its used vehicles.
