Mayor's Message 12/21/22

Good evening everyone and Happy Winter Solstice, 

The trash and recycling schedule will be altered for the next two weeks to accommodate our winter holidays. There will be no trash or recycling collected next week on Monday, December 26th as we observe Christmas Day. Also, there will be no trash or recycling collected on Monday, January 2nd in observance of the New Year. Please visit www.upperdarby.org/trash to see how your pick up will be affected by the holiday schedule. The website has an excellent translation option for our neighbors to get township information in their preferred language. You can also sign up for delco alerts to receive updates on changes to the trash schedule by visiting www.delcopa.gov 

On the agenda tonight is a resolution to reappoint three members of the Zoning Hearing Board: Erin McPhearson, Marguerite (Peggy) Wilson and Bob Gwin. All three have been serving on the Zoning Hearing Board and during their time there they have excelled in their roles serving our Upper Darby community. I am asking for a motion to reappoint Erin, Peggy and Bob to the Zoning Hearing Board. 

Also on the agenda tonight is my final proposed budget.  The proposal has gone through two public hearings in November after multiple meetings between Finance Department staff, department heads and members of the council Finance Committee.  After the public hearings on the budget closed and just prior to the December 7 council meeting, the council finance committee demanded $1.7 million in budget cuts.  In an effort to work with the finance committee, Deputy CAO Dobbins, Donna Stillwell, and Controller Diane Scuitti met with councilors Hayman and Andrusko the following Sunday evening and agreed to $1.1 million in cuts.  My proposed budget incorporates them.

This budget proposes a .35 millage increase and the use of $2.5 million in ARPA revenue replacement funds. As Acting Finance Director Donna Stillwell has stated on record, in 2020 alone the township suffered over an $8 million revenue shortfall. I would also like to add that on the agenda tonight is a public hearing on the $2.5 million revenue replacement funds and that this is the sixth time that some form of a revenue replacement ordinance has been on council meeting agendas this year.

As members of council have voiced concerns over the township’s lack of a robust fund balance and possible lack of funds for police backpay when the contract comes out of arbitration, I believe my proposal addresses these concerns, uses a small amount of eligible ARPA revenue replacement funds and has the lowest tax increase to our residents while preserving critical municipal public safety and public health services.

We haven’t raised taxes the last two years. The tax increase with my proposed budget is estimated to be 2.7%. Again, this is the first tax increase over the last 3 budget cycles which would average out to less than 1% a year. Before I ask for a motion for my budget resolution, I would like to ask Jack Reagan of UHY to come to the podium and explain the purpose of ARPA revenue replacement funds for the record.  Donna Stillwell, our Acting Finance Director, is also here to address any questions that council may have.

That concludes my message, thank you.