Nesquehoning residents will see a slight increase in their 2017 borough taxes, but will find some relief on their sanitation and sewer bills.

Borough council on Wednesday adopted the final budget for next year, calling for a 1.3-mill tax hike. The increase brings the millage to 18.55. Councilmen Don DeMarco and David DeMelfi were absent.That means that a $100,000 home assessed at $50,000 will see an increase in real estate taxes of about $65 next year.Councilman Frank Jacobs said that the total budget is $1,799,258.48, or 16.5 mills to the general fund, 1.75 mills for fire protection and 0.3 mills for recreation."To satisfy this budget, we had to go with a 1.3-mill increase," he said, pointing out that the approximately $73,000 the borough will gain in the increase will go toward much needed street improvements in the borough.Jacobs also said that health insurance and general insurance increases were causes for the additional needed funds.Council also decided that since its sanitation and sewer funds were healthy, it would help property owners by offsetting some of the millage increase through a reduction in costs for monthly sewer and sanitation bills.Everyone will receive a $5 a month reduction on both sewer and sanitation bills, meaning an annual savings of $60 for each bill or $120 a year total.Council President David Hawk said that this savings from the two utility bills may completely offset the tax increase depending on the property's assessed value.One mill in Nesquehoning represents approximately $63,000.In related matters, council also voted on a resolution to restructure the rate for the tax collector, effective in 2018.The resolution lowers the percentage collected to 3 percent during the discount period and retains the 5 percent during the regular time and penalty period."This should give us another $8,000 or $9,000 savings in the budget in 2018," Jacobs said.