Lehighton debates tax increase, fire equipment

Lehighton officials continue to debate the merits of a tax increase versus no tax increase in relation to next year’s spending plan.

With five of its seven members present, borough council explored several options for the 2018 budget at a special meeting on Wednesday.

As part of her initial budget presentation, borough Manager Nicole Beckett said that in order to balance next year’s budget, the borough would have to come up with $276,585, or 3.37 mills.

Beckett told council the fire department is requesting additional millage.

Fire Chief Patrick Mriss said the department needs apparatus replacement.

The four pieces of equipment discussed were Engine 512, Engine 514, Ladder 523, Rescue 551.

Councilman Scott Rehrig, who has on multiple occasions praised both the borough’s fire department and police department, said he believes that the fire department needs to be more transparent to the borough.

It was noted that in 2001, council increased real estate taxes by a half mill of real estate to fund future fire equipment purchases. However, equipment prices have significantly increased since then.

With the current millage, the vehicles would not be replaced at the age of 55 years for the vehicle. With one mill of tax, the average replacement age would be 27.5 years.

Beckett discussed several projects, such as the demolition of blighted properties; street paving borough wide (some streets are accounted for in next year’s budget); a new recreation center; building maintenance projects; Sgt. Stanley Hoffman Boulevard reconstruction; security modifications to borough hall, and expansion of the Public Works garage, as projects the borough should look at over time.

She also said the borough needs to start looking at the infrastructure of the borough hall, as it has not been on the top of the priority list being that the borough has completed projects for the fire, police and Light & Power departments.

Rehrig said that he “will not vote for one penny of millage.”

“The belts need to be tightened,” Rehrig said.

Councilman Joe Flickinger said he believes some type of increase is needed.

However, council President Grant Hunsicker said he would hate to burden the elderly people of the borough with a tax increase.

Council member elect Autumn Abelovsky said that while she doesn’t believe raising the millage a lot is a good idea, something needs to be done.

Councilman Darryl Arner said that while the borough should prioritize, he doesn’t believe a large increase should be done all at once.

Beckett said her belief is that incremental increases make it less painful to the public, and are a good practice in order to build capital reserves and keep up with increasing costs.

It was recommended that Beckett take the budget back to the department heads to see where they can cut until council has the final numbers.

Beckett said she will take the budget back to the department heads to see what areas they can possibly cut from.

Council is scheduled to hold another budget session at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Last year, council adopted this year’s budget with no millage increase, which left the millage rate unchanged at 7.5 mills.

A homeowner with a home assessed at $50,000 paid $375 to the borough this year in property taxes.

The last time residents saw their municipal tax rate raised was in 2014, when council approved a 1-mill increase.