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West Easton Council President Dan DePaul spent time reviewing the 2016 budget during Monday’s Council Meeting. It wasn’t a presentation that went over every line item in the entire budget, though he did provide the basics of where money came from and what was spent, specifically addressing those items that Republican candidate Tricia Mezzacappa insists “blew” the budget by $200,000.

Her claim is not supported by an independent auditor’s report completed only days before the meeting, providing her no solid ground for a platform of a Council that will bankrupt West Easton. The auditor’s report shows that West Easton actually did quite well in 2016, ending the year with more cash on hand than it started with, providing no credibility to Mezzacappa’s claims of bankruptcy.

DePaul reviewed what was spent on roads, where the money came from, and how the final numbers were determined, all of which were also supported by the independent audit.

Using the dry eraser board on the Council Chamber’s wall, DePaul displayed the numbers in an easy to follow trail of where revenue was obtained, how it was spent, and the resulting totals. On each side of the board were pinned the budget paperwork and auditors report, so that the public could review them again at their leisure.

He pointed out a major line item in the 2016 budget, prepared by the previous Council, that was never spent – The $100,000 budgeted for a new public works building.

It was again explained, as it has been numerous times previously, that money from Liquid Fuels, a total of about $169,000 from the State, was applied to the more than $215,000 spent on repairing roads in the borough. $80,000 of West Easton’s money was in the budget for road repairs. Needed road repairs that went unaddressed for almost 6 years, as the State Liquid Fuels money accumulated.

He reiterated that the Liquid Fuels account is not part of the General Fund account. Liquid Fuels money is provided from Harrisburg and not by West Easton taxpayers in funding West Easton expenses.

DePaul also addressed those line items that did go over budget, such as Solicitor and Engineering fees.

Some of the money for engineering fees was owed from unpaid bills in 2015 to the former engineering company. Some of the Solicitor fees were also those due the former Solicitor and money needed to correct mistakes that former Solicitor made in the process of acquiring the Ridge Street property. DePaul stated that there were other “unexpected” Solicitor fees in 2016, intentionally omitting the mentioning of money Tricia Mezzacappa is costing the Borough to defend itself against her most recent lawsuit.

He also explained the problem encountered with repairing Adamson Street, which held up completion of the project, while adding additional expense. Adamson Street totaled approximately $86,000 when completed. The metal trolley rails that had always been assumed detached with broken crossties and buried, were discovered in place and actually embedded in concrete. An alternative method to repair the street was made that required a special cushioning material to be used as an underlay.

The $86,000 spent was more than anticipated due to the problem encountered, but not anywhere close to the $300,000 the previous Council intended to spend on a full rebuild.

When all was said and done, West Easton had almost $61,000 more, in cash, at the end of 2016 than it started with at the beginning of that year, reported DePaul. The auditor’s report confirmed that number.

Councilman and candidate Tom Nodoline wanted to know why the tax rate hadn’t been reduced by 2 mils, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the numbers weren’t confirmed until only days ago by the audit, long after the 2017 budget that had no millage increase, was approved.

Nodoline’s running mate, candidate Tricia Mezzacappa, apparently wasn’t convinced by the audit and still took issue with the accepted accounting methods. She told DePaul that West Easton wasn’t an open wallet to feed him and his ego, before she departed.