October 26, 2007
Gennaro A. Marino P.E.
409
e-mail kmayor@ptd.net
610-683-7977
Michelle Park
Reporter of The
Fax No. 610-371-5098
Dear Reporter Michelle,
Thank you for the very informative article about the Borough of Kutztown and the Kutztown Foundry in the October 25, 2007 copy of The Eagle. Borough Manager\Treasurer Vettraino neglected to state that the Borough raised the Electric, Trash and Real Estate Tax rates by 33%, 8.5% and 50% respectively about 5 months ago and recently he and the Borough Council announced that the Electric rate would be increased again because of the anticipated rate increase by our electricity provider. No mention of the Foundry was made at the time of that announcement even though it was known that the Foundry was going to lay off personnel because it was reported in the local newspapers about a month ago. Mr. Vettraino goes on to state that the Budget for 2007 was $17.4 million. $17.4 is the amount of the proposed Budget for 2007. He did not state the amount of the 2006 Budget because it has not been finalized and the mandatory Commonwealth Annual Audit of the 2006 Budget has never been performed.
Attached please find a letter addressed to the Kutztown Borough Officials dated October 11, 2007 which I hand delivered and have not received a reply. My letter basically states that the Borough is broke and deliberately withholding all reports of our Borough finances. This letter was written and delivered to the Borough 2 weeks prior to your article and it clearly demonstrates the Borough’s urgent need of revenue and the Borough’s desire to keep this information from the public. All my accusations and statements can be backed up with Borough Documents.
Please note because the Borough provides electricity Borough residents are required to purchase electricity from the Borough and can not shop for a better rate. I pay about 18 cents per kilowatt in my house and 22 cents a kilowatt on a second meter on my property when there are no tenants on the property. One Borough resident pays 10 cents a kilowatt to Met Ed and a Kutztown resident outside the Borough also pays 10 cents a kilowatt to Met Ed. My rate is already 80% and 120% more than the surrounding area, how much more can the Borough charge Borough residents? Most of the funds from the Electric Department are transferred into the Borough’s Fiber Optics business venture which by the last budget I saw loses about $ 1 million annually.
I will be more than happy to provide you with any additional information that you would like. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Gennaro A. Marino P.E.
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