Council Approves Budget on Final Reading

Bradford City Council approved its 2013 budget on final reading Tuesday.

Councilman Jim Evans, who oversees accounts and finances, said efficiencies were realized in every department in 2012, budgets were watched carefully and revenue and expenses were kept in line with budget projections.

“In addition, the mayor, city council, city clerk and others have continued to look for creative ways to raise city revenues outside of raising property tax assessments,” Evans read in the 2013 budget letter. “The result is the City of Bradford government continues to operate efficiently while the level of services to city residents continues to be maintained at appropriate levels.”

Despite significant increases in workmen’s compensation insurance premiums, payments for the 2012 bond issue, and inflationary increases in a number of areas, this is the second year in a row council has not had to raise taxes.

Also during Tuesday’s meeting, Curt Wallace of C.J. Wallace Engineering suggested that the city hire an intern to convert the maps and drawings in the “depths of City Hall” to PDF or TIFF files, to make them more easily accessible.

Wallace said he would want only a minimal fee to cover the cost of wear and tear on his equipment.

Evans said an advantage to having PDF files is that they wouldn’t be destroyed should flooding, or anything else, happen in the basement. In their current form they would be lost forever.

Mayor Tom Riel said it’s an excellent idea, and suggested a two-week trial period while Ben Palagonia, who would be doing the work, is on winter break from college. Councilman Fred Proper will oversee the trial period of the project.

At the beginning of the meeting Riel called for a moment of silence in observance of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on Friday.

Listen to the entire meeting here.

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