Published: November 13, 2009 11:01 pm      

Seward budget avoids tax hike

Borough Council chairman steps down

SEWARD — Seward Borough Council on Tuesday agreed to advertise its preliminary 2010 budget that is balanced and retains current taxes.

The $140,000 spending plan is available at the borough office for residents to examine, said council President Brian Custer, who chaired his last meeting.

The budget, an increase of $5,000 from this year’s plan, projects revenues at $140,000, he said.

Council will vote on adopting the budget at its December meeting.

Custer, saying it was time for a change, resigned as president at the meeting.

Vice President David M. Croyle will lead the next meeting, Custer said. At the January meeting, when four new members will join council, a new president will be selected, said Custer, who has two years remaining on his term.

In other business, council completed its goal of having four police officers on duty by hiring Pete Henderson of Greensburg. Henderson has

15 years of experience as an officer. He will be paid $9.50 an hour. There are no benefits with the position. All four officers are part-time.

In March, the borough received an $11,390 federal grant to purchase two Tasers, an in-car video system for a police cruiser, three radios that are compatible with police departments in neighboring counties; and two laptop computers.

Custer said all the equipment has been in use except the computers, but that will change soon.

He said the borough had been waiting for the Westmoreland County 911 center to program the computers so that they would be usable. That task now is finished.

The borough on Tuesday agreed to fund the $600 cost of installing the computers. The equipment should be operational next week, he said.

Council held a brief discussion about a meeting its police committee had with St. Clair Township’s police chief and solicitor about the possibility of Seward buying police services from St. Clair or perhaps forming a regional force consisting of Seward, St. Clair and neighboring municipalities, Custer said.

Residents at an earlier meeting had asked council to look into the matter, he said.

The subject will be examined again when the new council forms in January, he said.