Cambria's 2025 town budget reduces tax rate

The Cambria town board has adopted a $7.21 million spending plan that lowers the tax rate for residents.

The budget includes a combined tax rate for residents with sewer of $3.41 per $1,000 of assessed value, 26 cents lower than in 2024. The combined tax rate for residents without sewer is $2.71 per $1,000 assessed value, a 1-cent decrease.

The budget was approved on Nov. 7 by a 4-1 vote with Councilman Ben Musall dissenting.

Musall said that while 90% of the budget is well done, there were two items he couldn't "in good faith" pass: the money put into expanding the town park and the salary of the deputy supervisor, Councilman Randy Roberts, which jumps from $2,000 to $15,000.

"I'm 36, three kids, I'm the demographic of users of the park," Musall said. "I've never had a conversation with someone my age about wanting to expand the park. People love it the way it is."

As for the deputy supervisor's salary, town Supervisor Jon MacSwan said that he had put that into the budget "to protect the town" on the chance that he has another diagnosis of cancer and has to take time off.

"I feel good now, but I'm going in for testing in the spring," he said. "Once you get cancer, you're always afraid it'll come back. I guess I'm putting $15,000 in to cure my paranoia."

Roberts will only be paid for the amount of time he works, about three days a week, two to three hours a day, MacSwan said, and will not receive the entire $15,000 "unless he has to," due to MacSwan falling ill.

Spending in the town is up from 2024 by $300,000, mostly because of rising utilities as well as the highway funds expenditures, MacSwan said. He also said that the town had to protect itself as negotiations for a new refuse contract with Modern is about to get underway.

MacSwan also said that the Lockport Road Sewer Extension project, which would've been another $1 million expense, was tabled this year to reduce spending.

Wages for the clerks at town hall were increased to the average of the surrounding towns' clerks salaries. MacSwan said that clerks were being paid very low, some at $ 18 an hour. The average pay is now about $ 23 an hour.

Every elected town officer also gets a pay increase, but not the supervisor whose salary will remain at $29,355. Councilmen will be receiving $8,671, up $500 from 2024. The highway superintendent will be getting $75,000, up $1,815. The town clerk will receive $64,700, an increase of $8,265 from 2024. The tax collector will get $8,000, up $389.