Notice from Riverside Borough Council President

​To All Riverside Residents;
 
I want to introduce myself as your Council President. My name is Steve Wagner and I apologize for not communicating earlier. It’s been a busy year, and as I was sworn in January 2024 and nominated as President, time has flown by. I hope this communication leaves everyone with a better understanding of what we are doing. Our first project is the sewer, which is a three tier issue. One part is fixing the pump station, which is almost complete. This project was necessary due to contaminants being transferred to Danville, electrical panel malfunction and the use of Danville’s generator during peak flow. The other two tiers are split as East and West Sewer Renovations. Our sewer is old and in desperate need of repair piping. We have a million dollar matching Grant with a loan to complete the West End sewer renovation. The East project has not been financially secured as of yet. Other projects are the auction of seven acres behind our Elementary School, hopefully to be used for renovation. We are also in the process of a Grant for the Guiderail replacement along Pine Swamp Hollow Road. In addition to these projects, we are losing Merck Chemical Company, 39% of our taxable Real Estate income comes from Merck. We will be in a deficit with our budget this year. Council has no choice but to raise our taxes 1 Mill, 11.5 to 12.5. No one likes to raise taxes, we are in need of revenue, so any businesses that you think would like to set up shop in our little town, please send them to us.
            Riverside Council has the best interest of its’ citizens. We are in some difficult times, losing Merck and fixing our 50+ year sewer are two issues we need to address. Please feel free to attend our meetings and any help is appreciated.