City EIT Rate Hike Passes, Rental License Fee Increase Fails

By Christina Georgiou

A 0.2 percent increase in Easton Earned Income Tax (EIT) was passed unanimously by city council members Wednesday evening, raising the rate to 1.95 percent for residents. The EIT rate paid by those who work in Easton but do not reside in the city will remain at the current 1.75 percent rate.

A last-minute attempt to fill a $110,000 hole in the city's 2014 budget proposal by increasing the city's residential licensing fee by $25 per unit annually failed to get city council members' approval.

The shortfall cropped up after the council rejected a provision during a budget hearing Tuesday night that would have raised rates in the city's South Third Street parking garage from $2 to $3 per hour during summer months.

City Administrator Glenn Steckman suggested at Wednesday's meeting the hole could be filled by raising the residential licensing fee to $80 per rental unit, up from the current $55 rate.

The 2014 budget proposal calls for a $5 increase in the fee to $60, which the council said it agreed with, but members balked at the sharper rate increase.

"I just think it needs a lot more thought," said Mayor Sal Panto, who attended the meeting by phone. Panto is in Seattle, WA at the National League of Cities' annual conference.

Steckman said the increase would support more vigorous code enforcement and rental unit inspections.

"Although I support (that), and I want to support it, I think it will take months to implement it," Panto said. "So I have some reservations about putting this in place in 24 hours, but I do support the intent."

The city plans to hire one additional code enforcement officer next year to help with rental unit inspections. The budget proposal calls for the new position to be filled in April, but city officials said Tuesday evening that might be pushed back until June to help cover the shortfall after the parking rate increase failed to gain traction.

Easton Council member El Warner said the new proposed rate increase was too steep.

"We're talking about making this cost $80, a $25 increase," she said. "I'm just not ready to do this on 24 hours notice."

Steckman said raising the fee more than the budget originally called for would help the city recoup costs associated with city rental unit inspections and code enforcement, noting that Councilman Roger Ruggles had said he wished the fee was reflective of the expenses to the city to do so.

"What this gives to me is a vision for the future of where this may go. But...it may not be this, and this may not be where we go," Ruggles said.

"I think it may be what we all want to do, but not at this time," Vice-mayor Ken Brown said.

Panto suggested that "baby steps" towards a higher fee might be taken along with better enforcement through coordinating city departments to make sure rental units comply with health and safety ordinances.

Technology upgrades, which the city is working on implementing soon, would allow police to better communicate with the codes and health departments after situations such as drug raids, he suggested.

Steckman seemed frustrated the suggestion was rejected.

"I've done this in other communities," he said, adding that such rate hikes are "aimed at increasing rental property values."

The city administrator then suggested that city council could opt to leave the $110,000 shortfall in the proposed $32 million budget for now, and approve it as it stands at the next regular city council meeting. The administration would then further work on ways to eliminate it in the first quarter of 2014, in January.

He also suggested city council might reconsider the parking deck rate hike, saying that traffic in the municipal garage is mostly monthly pass holders during the week, and city visitors on weekends.

Panto said he favors finding other ways to cover the shortfall in January.

"I'm not on board with the increase Monday to Friday," he said.

The mayor suggested the bulk of the $110,000 could be made up through the elimination of a "long empty" city position through attrition.

"I'm not talking about a person, I'm talking about a position," he added.

City Finance Director Chris Heagele said he'll be working immediately to identify other places the shortfall might be made up, noting that eliminating the vacant position is a good place to start. With salary and benefits being the majority of the amount, he said it may be possible for him to identify other small cuts to cover the rest of the amount.

City EIT Increase Likely, But Parking Rate Hike Off the Table for 2014

By Christina Georgiou
 

Easton city council members rejected raising municipal
parking deck rates from $2 to $3 per hour during the peak
summer season in 2014 during a budget hearing
Tuesday evening. As a result, both curbside metered parking
and municipal garage fees are expected to remain the
same next year.

Easton's Earned Income Tax seems likely to be raised by two-tenths of a percent, to a total of 1.95 percent, for residents in 2014, but city council members roundly rejected the idea of raising parking fees in the municipal parking garage to $3 per hour during summer months at a budget hearing on Tuesday evening.

Those who work but do not live in Easton will continue to pay 1.75 percent as implemented by the council at the beginning of this year, city officials said.

The increase in city parking deck fees would have brought an estimated extra $160,000 to Easton's coffers next year, but council members said the hike isn't justifiable and would hit residents as well as visitors to the city's attractions.

City administrator Glenn Steckman said the increase is necessary to control traffic in the parking deck during peak times. The deck was recently been filled to capacity during the Easton Garlic Fest and last weekend during Bacon Fest II. As a result, it was shut down until spaces opened

Steckman also suggested some of the extra revenue from the increased rate might go towards paying for the construction of more parking in the future.

"I do understand the supply and demand issue...but I do have an issue with rates going up and down," said Councilman Jeff Warren. "I really believe there needs to be some consistency."

Councilwoman El Warner, who has opposed parking rate hikes in the past, said, "I'm actually not in favor of doing this at all."

Mayor Sal Panto, attending the meeting via phone due to his attendance at a national mayor's conference in Seattle, WA this week, said it would be good to have the revenue, but not at the expense of city residents.

"I think it's great to get $3 per hour from visitors and tourists from out of town, but we need to figure out a way that residents (can pay less)," he said. "I think we need to make it fair for our residents."

He added that he agreed Easton will need more parking in the future, but said, "I don't think the people going Downtown (in the summer) on a Thursday night should pay for a garage we might build next year."

Warren agreed, saying, "We don't want to--I don't want to say 'gouge'--but we don't want to stick it to them."

Easton Councilwoman Sandra Vulcano suggested that trolley service be offered during large city events to ferry visitors from lots and parking spaces further from the center of the city to solve overflow issues. The cost of the service might be borne by charging riders $1 each, and the shuttle could travel in a loop to make it convenient for all, she added.

After council members made it clear they wouldn't vote in favor of the parking garage seasonal rate increase, Steckman said adjustments would have to be made to make up for the $25,000.

"I can count as well as anyone," he said, referring to the majority of council that voiced objections. "We'll come back with a revised budget for you tomorrow."

Steckman said the necessary cuts might come from delaying the hiring of a new building codes enforcement officer to handle landlord licensing and rental inspections from April to June and axing the purchase of a paving melting pot for the public works department.

City administrators also recommended an increase in the city's residential rental license of $5 per year from $55 to $60, which would bring in an estimated extra $25,000 per year, and raising the real estate transfer tax from $125 to $140.

City finance director Chris Heagele, along with Steckman, recommended council vote to increase the city EIT by 0.2 percent at its regular meeting tonight, which is the amount the budget proposal is based on. Without it, the city faces a shortfall in excess of $1 million and severe cuts to services and city programs would be necessary, they warned.

"All the assumptions in here assume a 0.20 (percent) EIT and the rental license fee increase. Roughly every tenth of a percent is $400,000," Heagle said. "If we don't enact that ordinance, we would either need to raise revenue substantially or take an axe to the budget."

Panto reiterated that he recommends raising the EIT rate.

"It's either raise it by two-tenths of a percent or raise it more, because at this late date, we can't screw with the budget," the mayor said.

The council introduced three ordinances at its last meeting, knowing only one would be voted on, to give them latitude in the decision--an increase of one-tenth of a percent, one at two-tenths, and a third at three-tenths.

In the event the council decides against any increase, they could reject all three measures, and the EIT rate would remain unchanged.

However, that council will vote in favor of two-tenths of a percent increase as recommended by city administrators seems to be the most likely scenario at this point.

"I've never had a problem with (1.95 percent)," Warren said.

Updated to correct the amount of the current rental licensing annual fee.  It is $55, not $50 as the article originally stated.

City Parking Lot Goes Back to Meters After Box Fails to Please

By Christina Georgiou

The parking payment kiosk at Easton's South Third Street
municipal parking lot is covered and awaits removal after
drawing complaints from the public. Individual smart
meters have replaced the unpopular payment station system.

The city parking lot on the east side of South Third Street has gone back to using individual meters for each of its 22 parking spots after the new box to administer the whole lot failed to impress parkers.

The box, which accepted credit and debit cards, as well as cash, and produced a printed receipt that patrons were require to display as proof of payment on their cars, had been installed for a two-month trial period and will go back to the manufacturer, said City Administrator Glenn Steckman.

"We were getting mixed reviews," he said, adding that complaints included people not liking the inconvenience of having to walk back to their cars, opining the system was complicated and confusing, that the machine was difficult to read, and that the machine was slow to process card payments and generate the required receipt.

"From my personal standpoint, I think the boxes are more efficient for the city, but we listened to what our customers were saying," Steckman said.

He estimated the single payment station would have saved the city about $1,000 annually in operating costs over smart meters that accept card payments, which is what has replaced the unpopular box.

Removing the parking payment station won't cost the city more, as the money that would have been spent on its purchase was reallocated by city council to pay for the new smart meters in that location, and the box had been installed on a trial basis offer from the company that offers it.

"We leased it (on a trial basis) at a very, very low rate," Steckman said.

The city administrator added the city may try out the single payment station method again at other municipal lot locations in the future, but those will probably not be from the same company that produced the one being removed.

Where the system might be tried again is undetermined, though it's possible one could appear next year at the city's new 20-spot lot on North Fourth Street.

That lot, which has long term, 10-hour parking limit, is planned this year to have individual meters that only accept quarters. City officials have cited the costs of card-accepting smart meters as being a barrier to their immediate implemenation at the new lot.

Steckman said the solar-powered new smart meters, which also accept all denominations of silver coins, cost $495 apiece, versus the quarter-only meters, which cost $180 each.

The city's new lot may eventually get a more versatile payment system though, whether another payment station trial or card-accepting smart meters. It depends on the amount of revenue the new lot generates and if the city determines it to be cost-effective, the city administrator said, adding that since the location is new, it's too early to tell.

"We need to look at the whole year, not just a couple of months," he said.

The new smart meters were installed earlier this year, coincident with a rise rates for curbside metered parking from 50 cents to one dollar per hour.

The rate of parking in the city's parking deck has not changed, and the city is offering discounted evening rates in the deck as well in an effort to encourage locals and employees to park there more frequently during peak city visiting hours.

No Foolin', Parking Rules Will Be Enforced Starting April 1

By Christina Georgiou


One of the City of Easton's new solar-powered parking
meters. The new meters accept card payments, as well
as nickels, dimes, and quarters.



New parking regulations that were approved by Easton City Council late last year  technically went into effect at the beginning of 2013, but due to the practical considerations of installing new meters and signs, the city hasn't been enforcing the new rules.

All of that is set to change this Monday, on April 1, however, as parking enforcement officers will be actively ticketing those who don't feed their meters or overstay time limits without moving their vehicles, city officials warn.

The new hours for metered parking in the city's Downtown district are from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

And, as those who park regularly in the city have probably already noticed, the price of metered curbside parking has also increased, to $1 per hour, which is now payable with a debit or credit card, as well as with change. The new solar-powered smart meters also accept silver coinage--that is, nickels, dimes, and quarters--instead of just quarters, which many had complained was limiting and inconvenient.

There is a $1 minimum fee for those using the card option, though there is no minimum payment for those paying with coins.

In less central areas of the Downtown district, the metered parking rate and times will be the same, but motorists may still need a supply of quarters, as not all the city's parking meters have been converted to those that accept card payments.

There is one consolation for those that get caught and ticketed for overtime parking violations: Those that pay their fine within 24 hours or by the close of the next business day, will get a break, and the fine will be reduced to $15.

The reduction is for overtime metered parking only, city officials have said, and won't be applicable for any other parking violations.

Also beginning on Monday, April 1, the city will once again begin its street sweeping program  for the year, and parking regulations designed to allow sweepers curb access will also be in effect.

Those that fail to move their cars during the designated days and times, as posted on the white signs with red lettering in sweeping zones, will be subject to a fine of $25.

There are no changes to the street sweeping program or schedule this year, but drivers should check the signs on city streets anyway, just to be certain they are aware of the proper times and days anyway, city officials said.

Parking Rate Increase Still Months Away

By Christina Georgiou

Easton's City Council approved an increase in metered parking rates from 50 cents an hour to a dollar per hour in December, and the law officially will take effect on Jan. 11, but the motorists aren't likely to be charged at the new rate until April, officials said Wednesday evening.

"We need to buy the (new smart) meters and install them," said City Administrator Glenn Steckman, estimating that the city will actually begin charging the new rate and enforcing extended hours--from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays--beginning on April 1.

Switching to the new hours and rates isn't something the city can accomplish overnight, Steckman noted.

"You're talking about 500 to 600 meter heads here," he said.

Not all the Downtown parking meters will be converted to smart meters that accept credit cards, Steckman said--those will be placed at the busiest locations.

Meters in areas further from the commercial center of Downtown will be electronic Duncan meters, though those still need to be recalibrated to reflect the new rates. They also will get stickers to indicate the new hours of operation.

The city will also change the older meters batteries more frequently--every three months instead of every six months--to hopefully cut down on inoperative devices, the city administrator said. The city is also considering adding a phone number on the meters' stickers that people can call to report problems or inoperative devices, he added.

City parking lots will also be converted to central pay-box systems in the coming weeks. The parking lot pay boxes will be installed soon by city public works employees, Steckman said.

Those boxes, along with the new smart meters, will display the rates and hours of operation automatically, once placed.

"They'll have everything you need to know," Steckman said.

He estimated the converting the whole parking system over to the new rates and hours will take city workers a total of 30 to 40 days, barring bad weather.

"If we get a foot of snow, all bets are off on certain things, " he said.

Mayor Sal Panto said the city will be communicating with Easton Main Street and the Easton Business Association to keep city businesses in the loop about the coming changes, and that the city doesn't plan to take a hard line on enforcement as the new system is implemented.

"The first couple of weeks, we'll (have parking enforcement officers) give warnings after 6 p.m.," Panto said.

Easton City Council Passes 2013 Budget with Parking Rate Hike Unanimously

By Christina Georgiou

Members of Easton's City Council passed the proposed 2013 budget unanimously Wednesday evening.

Related ordinances that support the budget, including changes to the city's parking meter rates, also passed unanimously, though two council members said they were "ambivalent" about that part of the city's financial blueprint for the coming year.

"I'm not that happy about raising the meters to $1 an hour. I was happier with 75 cents," said Councilwoman El Warner. "I'm not really happy, but I understand it, and I'm not sure what the alternative would be."

Councilman Jeff Warner had similar thoughts.

"Do I like everything in this budget? No," he said. "But I've come to the conclusion that it's a solid, balanced budget."

Parking meter rates will increase to $1 per hour and the hours of operation will be extended, from to 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays, starting on January 1.

But the budget holds the line on property taxes for 2013. In addition to the parking meter increase, residents will pay a small increase in garbage rates, some user fees will go up and the city will collect a "commuter tax"--an Earned Income Tax (EIT) from those who work but do not live in the city as well as from residents.

"At least there's no tax increase, and with (parking) meters you make the choice to use it or not. With a tax increase, there's no choice," Warner noted.

Looking ahead to 2014, as required by the city's Home Rule Charter, Mayor Sal Panto said the city hopes to again avoid a tax increase, though a number of expenses are expected to rise by about two percent, estimated by the consumer price index and a number of increases called for by city contracts.

He said while normally at this time looking ahead to the following year, city finance administrators estimate a $1.5 to 2 million budget gap and then work to bridge it, this year the gap is much smaller.

"Next year's budget gap is projected at $527,000," Panto said, adding that he feels confident the shortfall will be bridged.

2013 May Bring Parking Meter Rate Increase

By Christina Georgiou

Visitors and residents that come to Easton's Downtown and want to park curbside and in metered ground-level city-owned will pay a little more next year, if city council approves the proposed 2013 budget as presented by Mayor Sal Panto Monday evening.

The current rate is 50c an hour, but the plan is to raise metered parking to 75c per hour and extend hours of operation, with metered parking in effect from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and also adding metered hours on Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. in the prime commercial areas of the city, namely at metered spots from the Centre Square south along Third Street.

A city ordinance allowing for the increase was already passed earlier this year Panto said, but the changes have not been put into effect.

Panto said the Sunday hours were added to capture increased revenue from city visitors on a prime weekend day, but the expanded area and times will hopefully not impact locals attending services at local churches.

The administration also wants to install new smart meters that can accept credit cards at curbside locations and a kiosk system at city surface lots that will also allow users to pay with plastic, eliminating a possible scrambling for quarters to “feed the meter.” Card users will have to deposit at least $1, but the meters and kiosks will also still accept quarters for those that wish to pay cash. 



Photos of IPS Group's smart meters
from Bethlehem's test run last summer.
The sophisticated devices run on
solar power and users can pay either
with quarters or by credit or debit
card. Additionally, the meters
communicate with parking enforcement
officers and can reprogrammed with
whatever changes a municipality
chosses via wifi connection instead of
requiring each to be changed
individually by hand.



Easton Police have contracted to test both systems, Panto said, and about 50 solar smart meters from IPS Group Inc. are likely to appear in the most heavily trafficked parking spots near the county courthouse in about a month. The test period is to last for 60 to 90 days, he added.

The meters are identical to ones that were tested in Bethlehem's historic district last year. City officials refused to estimate the total cost for purchasing a total of 250 meter heads that would be installed in the most heavily trafficked section of the Downtown area—specifically between Second and Fourth streets and Spring Garden and Ferry streets—with another 50 solar smart meters to be placed in the most used street-side spots in the courthouse district in the city's West Ward, saying they are still negotiating the possible deal.


However, City Administrator Glenn Steckman said they do hope to haggle a better deal than Bethlehem. Last year, Bethlehem estimated IPS devices as costing about $600 per meter head.

Cited advantages of the smart meters include being wi-fi capable and able to communicate their status to enforcement officials, letting them know which are expired, or even jammed so maintenance calls happen immediately. Additionally, the sophisticated IPS devices are capable of being topped off via a cell phone, though no mention of that feature was made Monday evening, and the feature wouldn't work for those that were already at the meter's maximum time limit, which is three hours at most Downtown spots and two in the Centre Square. After the limit is reached, the vehicle would still have to be moved.

Panto said the city will either negotiate a zero-percent loan with IPS if it's offered or “borrow” the money from the city's capital improvements fund, with payments from parking revenues paying back the fund over a period of about three years.

Steckman added that if the test is successful and city official approve the budget with the increased rates, meters might be installed all at once, or they might happen instead in increments.



“It all depends,” Steckman added. “We don't want to go out and purchase this to find out we didn't need it.”

Additionally, he said that parking meters outside the planned areas in the Downtown will not be upgraded as he doesn't feel the upgrade would yield revenue to justify the costs at this point.

The city will also test a parking kiosk at it's surface lot on South Third Street. That system, provided by Parkeon, will also accept credit and debit cards, as well as cash. Unlike some systems that require drivers to physically walk a payment receipt back to their vehicles and display them on the dashboard, the Parkeon system will ask users to enter their parking spot number, which will be displayed on the poles formerly occupied by meters to be clearly visible, said Easton Police Chief Carl Scalzo.

Under both new systems, parking rates per hour will be the same for those who pay either by cash or by card—however the minimum payment amount will be $1 for those who pay with plastic.

The minimum is necessary to cover processing and wifi fees associated with card use, city officials said.

Times and rates in the city's parking deck on South Third Street will remain unchanged if the plan goes through, but a plan to offer parking in the deck to restaurant employees and others who work night hours Downtown would be put into place, with a suggested cost of $10 per month, Panto said.

City council members mostly offered no comments, having not yet had a chance to look at the proposed budget in detail Monday evening. However, Councilwoman El Warner seemed initially opposed to suggestion of an increase in rates and times.

“So I suppose we really don't need to approve this, since you've already ordered the machines?” she asked Panto.

The mayor said that with the changes already approved earlier this year by the council, passing the budget without changes would trigger the plan.

“So if we really don't want to go to 75c per hour, and we can find some alternative, we can do that,” Warner replied.

City budget documents indicate the city will receive almost $390,000 from parking meter fees and about $618,250 in parking fines this year. If the proposed budget is passed as presented, that revenue is estimated to climb to $500,000 in fees and about $625,000 annually in 2013.

The additional estimated $117,000 would go towards a proposed $355,000 that is earmarked to support the Greater Easton Development Partnership (GEDP) and the programs it oversees—the Easton Main Street Intiative, Easton Ambassadors and the Easton Farmers' Market, Panto said.

Also expected to be weighed concurrently, but separately from the budget discussions, is the possibility of extra fines for “lazy double parking” or penalizing those who double park when adjacent parking spots are readily available.

No Tax Increases in Proposed 2013 Easton Budget; Some User Fee Hikes Expected

By Christina Georgiou

Easton Mayor Sal Panto left the dais Monday evening
to present his administration's proposal for the 2013 city budget.
Click on any photo or image for a closer look.



Easton's budget proposal for 2013 calls for no property tax increases, though some increases in user fees are being suggested, the most obvious of which are a $2 monthly billing fee residents, excluding seniors, will see on their sewer and trash bills and a hike in the metered parking rate from 50c to 75c an hour.

The Earned Income Tax (EIT) rate will also rise for non-residents who work in the City of Easton beginning in January, but the $1.35 million that is estimated to be raised from that move, passed by city council in August, is earmarked to help the city pay for ballooning pension costs.

“We are obligated to spend more than $3.5 million on pension legacy costs next year,” Mayor Sal Panto told members of city council during his presentation of the proposed 2013 budget Monday evening. “That's an increase of more than $1.8 million just for next year and more than $2.4 million, or 8 mils of taxes, since 2008. Our financial challenges are real.”

The overall proposed budget totals about $31.17 million, up an average of 3.5 percent a year for the last five years or since Panto took office. Five years ago the overall figure was $25.64 million. The increase is about the same as the average rise in inflation, Panto noted.

Notable items, both in revenue and expenditures, in the proposal include:

• a $10,000 expenditure increase for the Mayor's Office of Special Events
• a $50,000 estimated increase in revenue generated by the city's admissions tax, attributed to an anticipated increase in Crayola Experience visitors due to their upcoming expansion
• an increase of $470,000 in revenue generated by the city's EIT, not related to the non-resident “commuter tax, attributed to better county collections and disbursements
• Sands Casino revenue is expected to increase by $140,000 or 25 percent in 2013, for a total of an anticipated $700,000
• an increase of $225,000 in parking meter fees and and increase of $75,000 in parking fines, attributed to the possibility of raising street and city-owned parking lot fees from 50c to 75c an hour, along with adding operating hours on Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m.
• an expenditure to create a new police department position—a Parking Enforcement Officer Supervisor, “to enhance fair and consistent enforcement of parking regulation”
• a reduction in police overtime expenses of $75,000, cited as being attributable to the EPD having a full complement of officers
• a reduction of $30,000 in fire department overtime expenses, also attributed to the EFD having a full complement of fire fighters
• an unspecified number of planning and code fee increases to raise department revenue by an unspecified amount, with a note that these will be discussed at an upcoming scheduled budget hearing
• an unspecified rise in expenses to cover payments associated with the Simon Silk Mill and Intermodal complex development projects
• the creation of a new position in the city's economic development department, along with the elimination of a part-time executive assistant in the same department
• a $355,000 contribution to the Greater Easton Development Partnership (GEDP) to help fund their $625,000 annual budget that pays for the city programs they oversee—the Easton Main Street Initiative, the Ambassadors program and the Easton Farmers' Market
• $100,000 to McDonalds as the second payment on a $300,000 agreement the city entered into to buy out their lease in the Two Rivers Landing building, which made way for the Crayola expansion.
• A $20,000 payment to Crayola to cover HVAC improvement expenses not made by the Two Rivers Landing Partnership

While some city revenue streams will increase, overall, expenses have risen at a faster rate, Panto said, but despite this, the city budget proposal manages to absorb the costs without raising tax rates by changing strategy.

“We are on the path of continuous improvement,” the mayor said. “Easton will not be part of America's (municipal economic) failures...The city has changed how it does business.”

An electronic copy of the full budget proposal will be posted to the City of Easton website for public inspection, with a link to the document on the home page, by Wednesday at the latest, said City Administrator Glenn Steckman.

Upcoming budget hearings will be scheduled for Tuesday, October 13 and Tuesday, October 30, with additional hearings possible on Tuesday, November 13 and Tuesday, November 27, though if city council agreement is reached, a final budget proposal could be introduced as early as Wednesday, November 14 and voted on at the next city council meeting on Wednesday, November 28. All hearings and meetings will take place at 6 p.m. in city council chambers on the sixth floor of City Hall, 1 South Third St.

By law, the city must pass a budget by December 15 at the latest.