The preliminary 2027 General Fund budget includes $190,000 for Executive Staff Salaries and $180,000 for Recreation Salaries. Which jobs would those amounts fund, what work would residents receive, and how much would be additional cost? [2]

Before residents are asked to pay more, Council should answer those questions in plain English. A salary line gives us an amount. It does not tell us what we are buying.

These are proposed salary pools. They do not establish individual salaries or prove that every dollar is new spending. The breakdown should identify existing jobs, proposed additions and raises, work moving between employees and contractors, and accounting changes. Show the benefits alongside the salaries and the net change in cost. [2]

The October 21 Unmet Needs Report identifies workload and backup-coverage concerns, but leaves the number and classification of additional administrative positions undetermined. The report and preliminary worksheet do not provide a position-by-position explanation of those two salary pools. That is a gap Council should close before residents are asked to judge the spending. [1] [2]

Prepared by Interim Borough Manager Eden Ratliff, the report usefully brings equipment, buildings, infrastructure, staffing and services into one discussion. It explicitly says it is not a proposed budget, a request to fund everything in 2027 or a prioritized spending plan. Council still has to make the choices—and explain them. [1]

The approximately $14.8 million in proposed capital projects and purchases is another reason to demand a breakdown. The report says that amount is not a verified unfunded balance. Which requests already have money behind them? Which can be phased? What would remain for residents to fund? [1]

For the pool, the report says potential infrastructure investments cannot be responsibly estimated without a professional condition assessment. Residents need that information to weigh repairs, replacement or future service levels. Put the work, available funding, annual operating costs and effects on swimmers beside each option. [1]

The comparisons must be fair, too. The worksheet’s identified General Fund legal allowance is essentially flat: $200,240 projected for the full year of 2026 and $200,200 proposed for 2027. Comparing only with its lower, restructured 2026 budget figure would give a different impression. [2]

Council should publish a ranked list showing what it wants to do first, the cost, existing or committed funding, the amount still needed, timing and the consequences for services. Separate transfers and accounting changes from added costs, and one-time projects from expenses that return every year. Where a cost is unknown, identify what must happen to establish it.

Council’s next special budget meeting is Wednesday, October 28, at 7 p.m. at Borough Hall. Residents should be able to weigh concrete choices: which jobs, which projects, which services—and at what additional cost? [3]

Before we pay more, show us what we’re paying for.

Sources and supporting records

  1. Borough of Wyomissing, Unmet Needs Report, October 21, 2026. Physical PDF pages 2–4 explain its purpose and limits; pages 5–6 cover capital requests and funding; pages 6–8 discuss staffing; page 15 addresses the pool infrastructure assessment. Physical page numbers count the cover as page 1.
  2. October 13 preliminary discussion worksheet v4.1, physical pages 2 and 7 (proposed Executive Staff and Recreation salary pools), and page 4 (identified General Fund legal allowance: $200,240 projected full-year 2026; $200,200 proposed 2027). These are proposed allowances and forecasts, not adopted 2027 spending or actual payments.
  3. Official Council Special Budget Meeting notice: October 28, 2026, 7–10 p.m., Borough Hall, 22 Reading Boulevard. Current budget information is on the Borough’s 2027 Budget page.

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