Berlin Adopts $19.4M Budget

BERLIN – Town officials this week adopted a $19.4 million budget for the coming year.

Residents will not see any fee increases, as the budget includes no changes to town fees and leaves the property tax rate at 68 cents per $100 of valuation.

“I wish to thank all of the department heads for their work in preparing the town budget proposals and the town council for their detailed review of the proposed budget over the multiple work sessions we have held since mid-April,” Berlin Mayor Gee Williams said at Monday’s town council meeting.

The $19.4 million budget represents a 13-percent increase over the current year’s spending plan. One of the largest expenditures in the proposed budget is the $2.2 million set aside for the construction of the town’s new police department. The new building, which will be situated near the intersection of Route 113 and Bay Street, will be funded by the town’s reserve funds. Williams said the town’s reserve account would be replenished in 10-12 years with the casino revenue the town receives annually.

“The payback period is based on the level of the annual slots grant,” he said. “The town has averaged $240,000 per year since its inception in 2010.”

The budget also includes funding for pay increases. Town employees will receive a 3-percent increase and, for the first time in 25 years, the salaries of the mayor and council members will be increased. The mayor’s salary will jump from $5,000 a year to $15,000 a year while council member salaries will go from $2,000 a year to $7,500 a year. None of the increases will occur until the offices have been up for election.

While the general fund, at $8.3 million, is 38-percent higher in the proposed budget, the majority of the town’s other funds are set to decrease in FY 2017. The electric budget, at $5.5 million, is 1 percent less than it was in FY 2016. The proposed budget for the town’s water fund is $1 million, which represents a 5-percent reduction over the current year’s budget. The wastewater budget will decrease 5 percent, or $128,110, in the coming fiscal year.

The town’s stormwater budget is expected to increase $30,000, or 1 percent, in FY 2017.

The council voted 4-0, with Councilman Troy Purnell absent, to approve the budget Monday following a public hearing in which no one commented. The town’s new fiscal year begins July 1.

About The Author: Charlene Sharpe

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Charlene Sharpe has been with The Dispatch since 2014. A graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and the University of Richmond, she spent seven years with the Delmarva Media Group before joining the team at The Dispatch.