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After year of unexpected bills, Sunbury applies for state loan

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(Harrisburg) — A midstate city’s bank account is getting dangerously close to zero.

The Sunbury City Council voted in an emergency meeting this week to apply for a $500,000 line of credit from the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED).

City Treasurer Kevin Troup said Thursday afternoon the Northumberland County municipality has just over $20,000 in the bank.

The city usually sees an influx of cash in the beginning of October, so Troup is optimistic they will make payroll on October 5th. He said payroll ranges from about $50,000-$65,000.

But he says they will need the loan if they want to pay their bills through the end of the year.

“September, October, November are usually slow months for revenues for us, but we usually have money in the bank to make it through,” he said. “This year we don’t.”

It’s been a trying year for Sunbury.

Five police officers retired, and their benefits had to be paid out.

The city also racked up over $100,000 in legal bills between December 2017 and February 2018.

A Right to Know request by the Daily Item newspaper shows bills for email and phone communication with city officials, as well as a series of meetings with the incoming mayor.

Sunbury has since hired a new solicitor with a monthly cap on fees.

Troup anticipates knowing whether the city has secured the DCED loan in about three weeks.

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