1  OLD FORGE BOROUGH COUNCIL OLD FORGE, PENNSYLVANIA  2 3 4  5 IN RE: SPECIAL MEETING OF COUNCIL  6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18  DECEMBER 6, 2022 7:00 P.M.  OLD FORGE MUNICIPAL BUILDING 314 SOUTH MAIN STREET OLD FORGE, PENNSYLVANIA  COUNCIL MEMBERS:  19 RUSSELL RINALDI, PRESIDENT RICK NOTARI, VICE-PRESIDENT 20 LOUIS FEBBO MICHELLE AVVISATO 21 JAMES HOOVER MICHAEL LETTIERI 22 ANDREW BUTLER  WILLIAM RINALDI, ESQUIRE, SOLICITOR 23 MARYLYNN BARTOLETTI, BOROUGH MANAGER  ROBERT LEGG, MAYOR  24 25  Mark Wozniak Official Court Reporter    2  MR. RUSSELL RINALDI: Good evening,  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25  ladies and gentlemen. I'd like to call the special meeting to order with the Pledge of.  Allegiance.  (The Pledge of Allegiance was  recited.)  MR. RUSSELL RINALDI: Roll call,  please, Marylynn.  MS. BARTOLETTI: Councilwoman  Avvisato?  MS. AVVISATO: Here.  MS. BARTOLETTI: Councilman Butler?  MR. BUTLER: Here.  MS. BARTOLETTI: Councilman Febbo?  MR. FEBBO: Here.  MS. BARTOLETTI: Councilman Hoover?  MR. HOOVER: Here.  MS. BARTOLETTI: Councilman  Lettieri?  MR. LETTIERI: Present.  MS. BARTOLETTI: Councilman Notari?  MR. NOTARI: Present.  MS. BARTOLETTI: Councilman Rinaldi? MR. RUSSELL RINALDI: Here. Once  again, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the    3  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25  Tuesday, December 6th special meeting. The purpose of our special meeting will be we have a motion that will be coming up shortly to pass our tentative budget, and then also the meeting will be open to any other business any of the members have. Things they would like to bring to the floor.  With that said, Marylynn's going to  explain a little bit of the budget to us and the public and then we'11 get into the  motion.  MS. BARTOLETTI: So we are ready to  pass our 2023 budget. The budget will include the total revenues and assets for the general account of $3,431,654, and total expenses will be $3,454,900. Our overall  budget would be $10,545,564.  At this point council is  contemplating a one and a half mill increase. This will be voted on at our meeting on December 20, 2022.  MR. RUSSELL RINALDI: Anybody have  any questions for Marylynn? Marylynn, thank you. As always, we go through it year in and year out. We know Marylynn puts most of    4  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25  the time into the budget and she puts most of the work in. She really crunched the numbers this year, as always. I'm- sitting here a long time, sO are some of the other members. You do an excellent job on the budget. You have every year. Thanks for the hard work and thanks for getting down in a tighter spot, which you did. She did really well. We had to cut nothing out.  We know that Marylynn said that  there's a potential 1.5 mill increase. If the budget does pass tonight with a  tentative vote and a 1.5 mill increase, that 1.5 mill increase is going to be dedicated to our fire department, hiring of three police officers, two of which will go into the 01d Forge High School. We'17 have them there 180 days out of the year. After school is out for summer, we spoke with the chief of police, we'11 have two new shifts he's going to put on down at the parks.  Correct, Chief?  CHIEF DUBERNAS: Yes.  MR. RUSSELL RINALDI: So they'11 be  dedicated shifts. If the 1.5 passes, that's    5  where that extra money is going to go. So we just wanted everyone to have an  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25  understanding of it.  Does anybody have any questions  before we bring it to the floor?  MR. NOTARI: No questions, but I'd  just like to reiterate thank you, Marylynn, for doing such a fine job with the numbers. When the finance committee met, maybe three weeks ago, we were actually looking at a possible 3.5 mill increase. So just the fact that she was able to get it down to where it is right now tentatively. I'm sure she'11 come up with some more magic that she has. She's doing all these budgets and crunches these numbers. But another fine job, Mare. Every December you come up with a - little Christmas magic for 01d Forge Borough. Thank you very much.  MR. RUSSEL RINALDI: Anyone else?  Also for the record, the last time borough taxes were raised was in 2008. They were only raised one mill back then. So that was 14 years ago. Anyone else before we bring  it to the floor?    6  At this time the chair will  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25  entertain a motion to pass the 2022-2023 tentative budget with a proposed 1.5 mill  tax increase.  MR. NOTARI: I'11 make that motion. MR. RUSSELL RINALDI: Motion by  Councilman Notari.  MR. HOOVER: I'17 second it. MR. RUSSELL RINALDI: Seconded by  Councilman Hoover. On the question? Public input? Roll call, please, Marylynn.  MS. BARTOLETTI: Councilwoman  Avvisato?  MS. AVVISATO: Yes.  MS. BARTOLETTI: Councilman Butler?  MR. BUTLER: Yes.  MS. BARTOLETTI: Councilman Febbo?  MR. FEBBO: Yes.  MS. BARTOLETTI: Councilman Hoover?  MR. HOOVER: Yes.  MS. BARTOLETTI: Councilman  Lettieri?  MR. LETTIERI: Yes.  MS. BARTOLETTI: Councilman Notari?  MR. NOTARI: Yes.    7  MS. BARTOLETTI: Councilman Rinaldi? MR. RUSSELL RINALDI: Yes. Before  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25  we adjourn the special meeting, does anybody have anything else for this evening's  agenda?  If not, the chair would entertain a  motion to adjourn the special meeting.  MR. NOTARI: I'11 make that motion. MR. RUSSELL RINALDI: By Councilman  Notari.  MR. BUTLER: I'17 second it. MR. RUSSELL RINALDI: Seconded by  Councilman Butler. A11 in favor?  (Unanimous. Special meeting  adjourned.)    8  1 2 3 4  CERTIFICATE  I hereby certify that I attended the foregoing  5 proceeding, took stenograpnic notes of the same, that 6 the foregoing, consisting of 7 pages, is a true and correct copy, done to the best of my ability, of same  7  8 and the whole thereof.  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25  Mark Wozniak  Official Court Reporter