TOWANDA - The Towanda Borough Council on Monday passed a tentative $3.2 million borough budget for 2010 which includes no tax increase, but eliminates the curbside pickup of leaves and Christmas trees and scales back the borough's street sweeping operation and spring clean-up.
While Towanda Borough Manager Tom Fairchild Jr. had proposed eliminating the Towanda Borough Police Department's K-9 unit, the budget does include money to keep it in operation, Fairchild said.
The K-9 unit "is not going to be shut down," Towanda Borough Councilman Paul Sweitzer said at Monday's meeting. However, he said: "We are looking for additional funding (for the K-9 unit). There has to be other people kicking in some money. The dog is used a lot outside of Towanda Borough."
At a budget workshop on Dec. 3, the council had discussed whether to impose a fee on other police departments when they borrow Towanda's police dog. However, no decision has been made yet on whether to impose such a fee.
At the start of the council meeting, Second Street resident Pat Taylor and William Street resident Rhys Eastham urged the council not to eliminate the K-9 unit, which is used as a patrol dog and to detect the presence of narcotics.
"I think the proposed budget is extremely tight," Fairchild said, adding that the borough council has been working on preparing the budget for several months. "We looked at everything (for possible cuts). I think this is a budget that we can all live with and work with."
Under the tentative budget, the borough real estate tax rate would remain at 14.56 mils in 2010, which is the same as it was in 2009, Fairchild said.
The tentative budget can now be reviewed at the Towanda Municipal Building at 724 Main St.
At its year-end meeting on Dec. 28, the council is scheduled to adopt a final 2010 borough budget and set the borough real estate tax rate for 2010.
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