Summary of Carlisle Borough September 2026 Borough Council Workshop and Audit Report | A $3.6 Million Surplus, Fully Funded Pensions, and New Agency Guidelines
Here are the most important that happened at the September 2, 2026, Carlisle Borough Council Workshop:
- The 2025 Financial Audit Results: A deep dive into the borough’s financial health showed a positive fund balance and clean records.
- Fully Funded Pensions and Stable Debt: The borough reported excellent news regarding the financial security of our police and non-uniform pension plans.
- Updated Outside Agency Funding Guidelines: The council discussed making the funding process more flexible for local organizations.
The 2025 Financial Audit Results
The biggest topic of the night was the financial audit for the year ending December 31, 2025. An independent auditor from SEK reported that Carlisle earned an “unmodified audit opinion,” which is the best rating a borough can receive. He noted that “the financial statements are materially correct and can be relied upon”. The general fund saw revenues around $13.3 million and expenditures just under $10.5 million. Instead of an expected budget deficit, the borough ended the year with a positive fund balance change of about $3.6 million. This surplus was mostly due to spending less than expected on certain grants. The general fund also has a very healthy unassigned reserve of about $15.5 million, which is almost 150% of the borough’s annual expenses. The auditor mentioned that there weren’t any compliance issues with federal grants, specifically calling out the highway planning and construction grant. Even though the meeting opened up for public comment right at the start, there weren’t any residents present in person or on Zoom to speak.
Fully Funded Pensions and Stable Debt
Another major highlight from the audit presentation was the fantastic status of the borough’s pension plans. The auditor shared that both the non-uniform and police pension plans are fully funded. In fact, they’re slightly overfunded at 107% and 115% respectively. This means the future financial costs for our public servants are completely covered by the money already set aside. The auditor also went over Carlisle’s debt limit, showing a 10-year snapshot of where we stand. Even though the total amount of debt has gone up over the years, the borough is consistently staying below half of its legal debt limit. Right now, it’s sitting at a comfortable 46%. This shows that Carlisle’s borrowed money is being managed responsibly.
Updated Outside Agency Funding Guidelines
After the financial presentation wrapped up, the council moved on to discuss the rules for how outside agencies get funding. They voted to take the proposed updated guidelines off the table so they could talk about them. Councilor Kate expressed her support for the changes, pointing out how the new rules will help the council make better choices. She stated, “I really do think that this kind of better suits the needs and it’s a little bit more flexible”. She also liked that the new guidelines provide a more in-depth look at the criteria they’ll use to make funding decisions. Since everyone was on the same page and there weren’t any objections, the council agreed by consent to move this item to the official agenda for next week’s meeting.
Looking Ahead
To wrap things up, Carlisle’s finances are looking incredibly strong with a multi-million dollar surplus, completely funded pensions, and a clean bill of health from the auditors. On top of that, the council is working to improve how they fund local outside agencies. The meeting wrapped up quickly with no new business to report. Be sure to stay tuned for next week’s meeting where the council is expected to officially vote on those new funding guidelines.
