Norristown Municipal Council Adopts New Budget with 2.1% Increase

The Norristown Municipal Council voted to adopt a 2014 fiscal year budget of $29,606,063 at their Tuesday night meeting, which includes a 2.1% overall increase in the budget over the prior year and a 2.8% millage rate percent increase from 2013. 

The millage rate increased from 12.36 mills to 12.70 mills, which, according to Municipal Administrator Crandall O. Jones, is a $24.16 increase in real estate taxes, or, about $2 a month. This figure refers to the change of an average assessed value of a Norristown property.

The budget passed 5-0, with Councilwoman Olivia Brady, who had been sworn in earlier that evening, voting against it.

“We think that we have done a diligent job given the circumstances, given the economics,” said Jones. “Health care costs have increased dramatically this year, and we are still in negotiations over labor contracts.”

Jones spoke of a $1.29 million dollar gap that the municipality had to close. They reduced what they were using by almost half a million dollars to make the budget work, he said.

Councilwoman Linda Christian thanked those who worked in the municipal budget for their work: “Everything that could possibly be done to not have an increase was done, and I want to say ‘hats off’ to our department heads and our administration as a whole, because I think they did an excellent job in this budgeting process.,” she said.