TheBurg

01.23 | THEBURGNEWS.COM | 9 NEWS | All stories by eBurg staff Harrisburg has approved a spending plan for the new year that includes increased investments in public safety and infrastructure. City Council voted last month in favor of a $74.9 million general fund budget for 2023 that includes no property tax increase. e budget passed 6-1, with council member Shamaine Daniels voting against it. Harrisburg introduced the budget to council in late November. Before voting to adopt the spending plan, council made small amendments to a few salaries, among other items. In total, the budget equals $110.4 million, including the general fund budget, the $20 million neighborhood services fund budget and several other separately budgeted areas. Public safety is an area of focus in this year's budget, as salaries for city police officers are set to increase by 3.5% and 16 new positions in the bureau will be funded. Infrastructure improvements are another focus of the budget, including street lighting upgrades and ADA accessibility improvements within the State Street construction project. ere are also funds designated for renovations to the MLK City Government Center and the Public Safety building. HARRISBURG PASSES 2023 BUDGET After decades of planning and years of construction, local, state and federal officials last month cut the ribbon to officially open the new federal courthouse. Mayor Wanda Williams, Gov. Tom Wolf and retired Judge Sylvia H. Rambo, for whom the building is named, were all on hand for the debut of the expansive, 243,000-square-foot, $200 million building at Reily and N. 6th streets. e journey to find a new location for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania began in the 1990s. e current federal courthouse, located in downtown Harrisburg, was deemed too small and not secure enough, unable to meet federal requirements. Lengthy site selection and funding processes ensued, and the location was chosen in 2010. e first funds for the project came in 2004, with the remainder flooding in around 2018. e project ceremonially broke ground in June 2018. "e new courthouse aims to build upon Midtown Harrisburg's history and sense of community," Rambo said during the ribbon cutting. "e building and its surrounding landscape will be a civic icon. " Much of the courthouse construction is finished, though officials expect substantial completion this winter. Court personnel are expected to move into the building in the spring. With its location in Harrisburg, officials stressed the potential impact that the new courthouse will likely have on the city. "is space was an eyesore, a vacant parking lot, now transformation and redevelopment of this area is underway," Williams said. "e possibilities are endless, and it starts here today." RIBBON CUT ON FEDERAL COURTHOUSE A project to make a Harrisburg neighborhood safer and greener is nearing completion. Last month, the city announced that road construction in MulDer Square, the area where Mulberry and Derry streets meet, was largely finished. e project began in July, closing off Mulberry Street, from the Mulberry Street Bridge to Derry Street. "is is one of the areas that had high fatalities due to accidents, so the point is to slow down any type of negative congestion in the area," the city's project manager Percy Bullock said. According to Bullock, the construction included installing a roundabout at the intersection of Mulberry and Derry streets, making sidewalks ADA-accessible and updating street lighting. Side streets Nectarine and Evergreen were also paved, and Nectarine Street was transformed into a pedestrian-focused green walkway. Additionally, the city is working on a project to transform the Derry Street cul-de-sac, which was previously a vacant, blighted area, into a linear park and pathway. e park will stretch from Sylvan Terrace to S. Cameron Street and include benches, ADA-accessible features, new trees and landscaping. e park project will likely reach completion in April or May, according to Bullock. e MulDer Square Redevelopment Project is part of the city's Vision Zero initiative to reduce pedestrian fatalities. MILESTONE REACHED FOR MULDER SQUARE Harrisburg has made a major bond payment, as it eats away at the remainder of its once-mammoth debt load. In late November, City Council passed a resolution to pay off $12 million of the city's remaining $20 million in general obligation bond debt. is debt is money that the city owes after defaulting on loans during its financial crisis a decade ago. "e city and members of this body and everyone involved wants to get the city out from under this debt that we got into," said council member Westburn Majors. "We really see the light at the end of the tunnel. is agreement […] is a really good step in the right direction." While the administration had proposed paying off the remaining debt all at once, council had concerns about spending down such a large amount of Harrisburg's fund balance. While Harrisburg will still need to decide when and how to pay off the remaining $8 million of debt, Majors explained that the decision to pay off the $12 million early will save the city millions of dollars that would've accrued in interest had it continued with its regular payment schedule. "We are very happy," city Business Administrator Dan Hartman said, of the payment. "It's a step in the right direction." Residential sales declined but prices increased in November for the greater Harrisburg area, according to the latest report on previously owned houses. For the three-county region, home sales totaled 616 units during the month compared to 724 in November 2021, as the median price rose to $255,000 from $231,000, said the Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors (GHAR). In Dauphin County, 279 houses sold, a drop from 371 in the year-ago period, as the median price rose to $219,000 compared to $208,500 last year, GHAR stated. Cumberland County had 295 home sales, a dip from 299 a year ago, as the median price increased to $300,000 versus $245,000 in November 2021, according to GHAR. In Perry County, sales fell by eight units to 38 homes, as the median price increased to $239,750 compared to $204,950 in the prior year, GHAR said. Houses sold relatively quickly, as GHAR reported that the "average days on market" stood at just 17 days compared to 20 in November 2021. DEBT PAYMENT MADE HOMES SALES DOWN, PRICES UP Harrisburg utility customers will see their wastewater rates rise in 2023, though drinking water and stormwater rates will be unchanged. In late November, Capital Region Water (CRW) passed its 2023 budget with new rates for the year. Under the new rate structure, drinking water rates will be unchanged at $10.34 per 1,000 gallons consumed. Likewise, the stormwater fee will remain the same at $6.15 per month for most residential customers. e wastewater rate represents the sole increase for next year. For Harrisburg residents, it will rise by 68 cents per 1,000 gallons consumed, from $8.56 to $9.24. at represents an increase of about $2.55 per month for the average residential customer who uses 45,000 gallons annually, according to CRW. e overall increase for a Harrisburg residential customer is roughly the same as for 2022, when average rates rose by about $2.60 a month. "It's a testament to our leadership that we've been able to keep rates predictable this year," said Capital Region Water CEO Charlotte Katzenmoyer. "Even through inflation and supply chain issues, we are focused on finding equitable and responsible ways to repair the aging infrastructure, both seen and unseen." Katzenmoyer added that the spending plan commits $58 million to capital projects aimed at reducing combined sewer overflows, addressing localized flooding and runoff, and meeting state and federal clean water requirements. "is also comes at a time in which we have doubled the investment in our Customer Assistance Program," she said. WASTEWATER RATES RISE

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