(12/2014) On Tuesday, November 11th, the Borough Council met and approved the advertisement of the proposed 2015 Budget. This action made the proposed 2015 Budget available for residents review prior to its final adoption at the December 9th Council meeting. The 2015 Budget is the end-product of a three step review process over a three month period. The first review is performed by the Borough Manager when analyzing the Borough Department submissions. The second review is performed by the Finance Committee. The third review is performed by the Borough Council during their Budget Workshop.

At the November meeting, the public was given the opportunity to review the proposed budget. The tentative budget is based on a millage rate of 2.45 mills that is 24.5 cents on each one hundred dollars of assessed valuation which means there will be no Carroll Valley Borough tax increase for 2015. However, you need to realize that while the Borough and County are remaining at the same level as last year. It is too early to know what the school district will do with their millage rate.

The school district’s 2015 fiscal year runs from July through June. Their preliminary budget is reviewed and approved in May 2015 and final budget approved in June. The Borough tax is only a small portion of the total Property Taxes paid by you. The distribution of the total tax paid breaks down as follows: Carroll Valley is 15%, Adams County is 24% and Fairfield School District is 61%. If interested, a copy of the preliminary budget can be reviewed at the Borough office. You can also go the Carroll Valley Borough website at www.carrollvalley.org for the online version. Be sure to read the 2015 Budget Message prepared by our Borough Manager, Dave Hazlett.

The holiday season is upon us and many of us will awake on Christmas morning to the joy of finding presents under the tree. Some families in our Fairfield zip code area will not be as fortunate. For many reasons, those families will not have presents to open on Christmas Day. Because of this, Toys for Tots was created. The Toys for Tots program is an annual toy drive sponsored by the United States Marine Corp. The goal of this program is to make sure every child has a present on Christmas morning. If you want to help to bring a smile to a child, please consider donating a new unwrapped toy. You can place your gift in the Toys for Tots Donation Box in the lobby of the Carroll Valley Borough Office. The distribution date will be on Sunday, December 14th at the Fairfield Fire Hall. If you have any questions, please call Gayle Marthers at 717-752-0063. You also can go to the website: www.toysfortots.org I would like to thank those in our community for their support of the Toys for Tots Program.

At the November Borough Council meeting, I had the pleasure of presenting a Unit Citation Award to Chief Richard L. Hileman II and Corporal Clifford J. Weikert for the outstanding investigative work that resulted in the arrest and conviction of four individuals. These criminals were responsible for committing 19 residential burglaries between April and November of 2013, seven of which occurred in Carroll Valley. This action executed by our officers put an end to one of the largest burglary rings in Adams County in the last 10 years. It is a job "Well Done". I hope this also sends the message to those who do not want to follow the law, "Don’t come and play in Our Neighborhood."

The Carroll Valley Citizens Association is partnering with the Fairfield Fire and EMS to hold their Breakfast with Santa on Saturday, December 6th from 8 am to 11 am. I have been told by an air traffic controller that Santa plans to arrive at 9 am. If you plan to attend and bring a new, unwrapped toy for the Toys for Tots program, you will eat for free. As always, there will be lots of fun for the kids.

On the evening before – December 5th, a Tree Lighting Ceremony will be held behind the Carroll Valley Borough Office at 6:30 pm. Come and join your neighbors by experiencing the lighting of the tree, singing some Christmas carols and drinking hot chocolate. I want to thank the Carroll Valley Municipal Services for decorating the tree and park area. They always do a great job. The CVCA Holiday Gala is plan for Saturday, December 19th at 6:30 pm at the Carriage House Inn in Emmitsburg. If you interested in purchasing dinner tickets, call Charles Dalton at 717-642-5844.

Borough meetings December are: Planning Commission (Dec 1st), Public Safety Committee (Dec 8th), Borough Council (Dec 9th), and Parks/Recreation Committee (Dec 17th). The Borough Office will be closed on Dec 25th and Dec 26th. Please reduce your speed to make sure you, your loved ones, your friends and neighbors will be safe. If you have any questions call me at 301-606-2021 or email at MayorRonHarris@comcast.net. Happy Holidays and I wish you and your family good health and happiness topped with loads of good fortune in 2015. Happy New Year!