Politics & Government

Spring City Passes Animal Keeping Ordinance

The borough council also voted to advertise next year's budget and tax rates.

Spring City's Borough Council passed a much-discussed animal control ordinance on Monday evening at their monthly meeting. 

Council also voted to advertise the 2013 budget and tax rates, which will have a public hearing at the December 3 meeting.

Animal Control Ordinance

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The animal control ordinance has gone back and forth from the Finance and Ordinance Committee to the borough council for several months. Many of the sticking points related to the number of animals a resident would be allowed to keep.

Several council members expressed concerns at previous meetings that genreally limiting the number of animals would prevent people from owning small pets. Some council members also said they would like for people to be able to own chickens if they're being raised for food.

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The ordinance passed 5-1, with no discussion. Councilor James Burns was the sole "no" vote. (Councilor Michael Petak was absent.)

Tax Rates 

Spring City's Finance & Ordinance Committee has developed a budget for the borough and council voted unanimously to advertise both the budget and the 2013 tax rates. 

Council is proposing a 4.37 mills tax rate for real estate (a increase of .36 mills from 2012) and a 25 mills tax rate on occupational assessments (no change from 2012). 

A .36 mills increase means an increase of $36 on a home valued at $100,000. 

"It will mean an increase of between $27-$50 on average," said borough manager Dennis Rittenhouse. 

Council is also proposing to re-enact the real estate transfer tax, the per capita tax, and the earned income tax of 1% for 2013. 

The budget will be available for public inspection at Borough Hall, 6 South Church Street, Spring City, from Monday-Friday during normal business hours (9am-12pm and 1pm-4pm). 

The budget and the accompanying tax ordinances will be discussed and adopted at the December 3 meeting. 

SFYAL to Sub-Let Fields

Scott Smiley, president of the Spring-Ford Youth Athletic League, told council that he has been approached by the Amateur Athletic Union about sub-leasing the borough-owned fields that SFYAL uses.

The AAU would like to use the fields for one or two practices a week, and they have promised to do general field maintenance. 

SFYAL leases the park fields from the borough, and currently their agreement says they are not allowed to sub-lease the fields. 

Smiley came to ask council for permission to sublease and told borough council that SFYAL could make "a couple thousand dollars and offset some of our costs."

Council agreed to allow the sub-lease contingent on the AAU providing insurance and indemnity forms that release the borough from any liability for injury or damage. 


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