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WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Outgoing Mayor Tom Leighton proposed a $51.5 million balanced budget for 2016 through debt refinancing without increasing property taxes for a third consecutive year.Leighton, a Democrat who took office in January 2004 and will leave in January, also left his successor without a pay increase, keeping the mayor&#8217;s salary at $84,779 while budgeting a 3-percent increase for city workers.&#8220;There&#8217;s a new mayor coming in. You have mayoral candidates who said they would cut the salary in half, so leave it up to them to see if they will keep their word,&#8221; Leighton said while taking questions from the public.While reading from a prepared statement, he said the proposed budget is $7.1 million higher than the current spending plan and, as he has often done during his administration, pointed out the city has benefited from its credit rating.&#8220;During my term in office, the city went from having no credit rating to its current rating of A- with a positive outlook from Standard &amp; Poors,&#8221; he said.The rating allows the city to borrow money at rates lower than other municipalities and has saved millions of dollars in restructuring debt, he said.The biggest increase in revenue in Leighton&#8217;s proposed budget is $5.2 million in debt refinancing and Tax Anticipation Note borrowing. He budgeted $8.2 million next year compared to $3 million this year.The city routinely uses a short-term TAN to hold it over until tax revenues begin to arrive. It borrowed $3 million at less than 1-percent interest this year.The city&#8217;s financial people &#8220;strongly recommend&#8221; a refinancing of debt, Leighton said.He also budgeted $1 million for the sale of city-owned property, a $600,000 increase from this year. But the city has yet to raise the $400,000 in revenue from the sale of its property for this year.Millage rateThe millage will remain at 121.6 mills. A mill is a $1 tax for every $1,000 of assessed property value but Wilkes-Barre assesses property differently than other area municipalities and school districts. When Luzerne County conducted county-wide reassessment, Wilkes-Barre opted to continue using the old assessments rather than switching to the new ones.The city&#8217;s largest revenue source, its 3-percent earned income tax, is budgeted at $12.7 million for 2016, up from $11.8 million this year.&#8220;This is evidence that our citizens are finding high-paying quality jobs in our city, with more employment opportunities in Wilkes-Barre than ever before,&#8221; Leighton said.The largest expense is the city&#8217;s debt service. It&#8217;s budgeted to increase 210-percent to $10.4 million from $4.9 million this year.&#8220;It&#8217;s just the refinancing, the restructuring,&#8221; Leighton said, going off script.&#8220;We&#8217;re not borrowing any new money,&#8221; he added.The city&#8217;s debt service will be $78.6 million at the start of the new year, according to the proposed budget. &#8220;So when you hear numbers it&#8217;s $120, $150, $200 million, obviously whoever&#8217;s making those comments has no idea what they&#8217;re talking about,&#8221; Leighton said.Candidates weigh inFrank Sorick, the Republican candidate for mayor in the Nov. 3 general election, attended the budget address and said he was pleased there will be no increase in property taxes&#8220;Part of my campaign is no increase in taxes and I agree with Mayor Leighton the time is right to restructure the debt especially if we&#8217;re getting a better rate,&#8221; Sorick said.Sorick said he would take a lower salary if elected mayor, something in line with what Scranton Mayor Bill Courtright gets. Courtright&#8217;s salary was budgeted at $65,000 this year.Democratic challenger and city Councilman Tony George had not seen the proposed budget and limited his comments.&#8220;That&#8217;s great news,&#8221; he said when told of no property tax increase.George said he would accept the salary budgeted for the mayor.City council must schedule a public hearing on the proposed budget by Dec. 1 and approve it by Dec. 31.<style>
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<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton, who will leave in January after serving 12 years in office, proposed a $51.5 million balanced budget for 2016. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_TTL101515wbbudget11.jpg</photo0><caption0>Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton, who will leave in January after serving 12 years in office, proposed a $51.5 million balanced budget for 2016. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Jerry Lynottjlynott@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta>Budget highlights&#8226; Property tax rate remains at 121.6 mills&#8226; $51.5 million balanced budget&#8226; $18.5 million salaries expense&#8226; $13.1 million benefits and pensions expense&#8226; $10.1 million property tax revenue&#8226; $12.7 million earned income tax revenue&#8226; $1 million revenue from the sale of city-owned properties&#8226; $78.6 million bonded and unbonded debt as of Jan. 1, 2016&#8226; $150,000 revenue from the Wilkes-Barre Parking Authority&#8226; $50,050 revenue from towing contract&#8226; $5.2 million revenue from debt refinancing</factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLNews</shirttailMeta></div>

Wilkes-Barre mayor introduces 2016 budget that increases spending with no tax hike