The Coplay Borough Shade Tree Commission lost its proposed 2013 funding, it was announced Tuesday night.

At council's regular meeting, Councilman Joseph Groller, who serves as finance committee chairman, listed several line item changes to the borough's proposed $1.98 million spending plan for 2013.

Among them was the elimination of $3,500 in funding for the shade tree commission – the actual existence of which is being debated by Councilman Bill Leiner Jr. and Mayor Joseph Bundra.

Leiner told The Press last month that Coplay does not have a shade tree commission, causing him to question why $3,500 would be budgeted for it. The 2012 budget included $2,500 in funding for the shade tree commission.

When The Press called the borough office after the November meeting, the clerk who answered the phone did not know if a shade tree commission existed or who the contact would be.

Bundra said the shade tree commission does, in fact, exist. However, he deferred questions about it to council's public works committee, which incudes Leiner, Council President Lou Bodish and Councilman David Royer.

Bodish and Royer did not return phone calls.

Leiner said he was the liaison to the shade tree commission in the mid 1990s. In 1997, council voted 4-3 to take down trees on Second Street.

"With that move the Shade Tree Commission members were upset and left the commission," Leiner said. "It essentially, by default, disbanded."

"It did not disband," said Bundra before the meeting Tuesday. He said the shade tree commission still handles issues such as roots pushing up through sidewalks, causing uneven surfaces.

Borough Secretary-Treasurer Sandra Gyecsek referred questions about the budget – which included the funding for the shade tree commission – to Groller, who did not return several phone calls.

Because Gyecsek and Groller did not provide information on the budget, The Press filed a right-to-know request Dec. 5, asking for records relating to the budget, including the shade tree commission expenditures. By law, the borough has five days to respond. As of Wednesday morning, the borough had not responded.

Groller announced at council's workshop Dec. 4 that health insurance premiums came in 32 percent higher than expected and anticipated real estate tax revenues would be less than anticipated. The proposed spending plan already included a $31 tax hike for the average homeowner. Groller said he would adjust the budget numbers so that a larger tax hike could be avoided.

"We tend to pay that with our performance grant money so that $3,500 was removed," said Groller Tuesday, explaining the change in proposed funding for the shade tree commission.

Among the other adjustments to the budget are reducing the proposed road materials expenditure of $1,000 and deleting $2,000 budgeted for playground equipment. Expenses for tax collecting was reduced by $3,000 and the allocation for holiday lighting and traffic systems were each reduced by $100.

Council will vote on passing the final budget at a special meeting 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 17.