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Council probes budget overruns for floor maintenance and wireless data plan; code enforcement workload highlighted
Summary
Councilors questioned why general floor maintenance and the wireless data plan were substantially over budget; borough staff said specialized floor contracting and an added codes officer helped drive overages, and the mayor praised code enforcement's large workload.
Councilors raised questions about several budget line items during the borough financial report, asking why general floor maintenance came in well over budget and why the wireless data plan was about 238% over the projected amount.
Borough staff explained the floor maintenance overrun resulted from hiring a contractor who specializes in floor work after the janitorial vendor’s previous attempt “didn’t go well.” That contractor charged more than the budgeted janitorial price; staff said the result was a better, though still imperfect, outcome.
Councilors also linked the wireless data plan overrun to the addition of a second codes officer position, noting the extra phone and laptop increased the line-item expense. The meeting record shows the overall category remained under budget despite the line-item overrun.
Mayor Miller praised the work of the borough’s code enforcement staff, saying their workload and accomplishments had surprised him; he suggested the council might request periodic reports from the code office to keep the council informed of enforcement activity.
No formal budget amendments or transfers were proposed or approved during the meeting; the discussion was explanatory and exploratory in tone.
