In response to challenging economic times, Morrisville Town Council and Staff have produced a Fiscal Year 2010 Operating Budget that holds the tax rate steady.

The common theme represented by this budget are the efforts made toward mitigation of recession impacts through reduction of non-essential items, scaling back future personnel and capital improvements, and projecting very conservatively future revenues while seeking new resources.

"With 17 opportunities for public involvement and greater communication between Council and Staff, this year's budget process has been the best I've seen in many years serving on the Council," stated Morrisville Mayor Jan Faulkner. "To hold the tax rate steady and avoid pulling from our General Fund is a great accomplishment, especially facing a lean economy."

Budget Highlights:

Hold Tax Rate $0.3665 (per $100 property value)
Hold Vehicle Fee at $5.00
Conservative Revenue Projections
No Appropriation of Fund Balance
Maintain Essential Operational Needs
Minimize Non-Essentials
No Cost of Living increase for Employees
No New Positions
Freeze Merit for Employees
Preserve Existing Employee Positions

Council and staff continue to evaluate and refine long range projections to develop strategies that minimize risk and maximize opportunities for future budgets.

Town Manager John Whitson states, "In the coming months, the Council will be prioritizing the Community Investment Project list, staff will be working on a sustainable pay plan and drafting the next three years of the Long Range Financial Plan, and the Citizen Budget Performance Assessment Panel will be reviewing current year execution of the budget."

Keep up with the latest developments in Morrisville's budget process by subscribing to the BudgetCast email distribution list. Visit www.townofmorrisville.org/budgetcast for more details.