Lehighton residents will see a slight increase in their municipal tax rate next year.

On a 4-2 vote, with one abstention, borough council at a special meeting on Monday adopted the 2025 budget with a 1-mill increase.

Also as part of the motion, council agreed to transfer $1.5 million from the borough’s Light & Power Department.

In addition, borough Manager Dane DeWire was asked to meet with department heads to make further modifications.

Council members Autumn Abelovsky, Dave Zimmerman, Becky Worthy and Steve Hawk were in favor, with Councilman John Kreitz and council President Grant Hunsicker opposed.

New Councilwoman Jordyn Miller abstained from the vote because she was just sworn in to take her seat on council Monday night.

A vote to increase the millage rate from 10 mills to 11 mills in the 2025 budget passed on the same 4-2 margin, with an abstention from Miller.

Before the vote, Kreitz said he wasn’t in favor of raising taxes, not with the fiscal year that just occurred.

“There’s a lot of elderly people and young couples, and they can’t afford it,” Kreitz said. “People are just hurting.”

Abelovsky said that while she agreed with Kreitz that things are hard and prices are up, she believed some sort of raise was necessary.

“I don’t know that it’s feasible (to not) have any increase,” Abelovsky said.

Resident Scott Rehrig noted that council passed this year’s budget with a deficit, and questioned about the parking lot on Sgt. Stanley Hoffman Boulevard that was paved.

On a slim 4-3 margin, borough council in September agreed to allow the borough’s Public Works Department to provide paving labor in exchange for a sanitary sewer easement, pedestrian walking easement, and public parking during large events.

Hunsicker maintained his stance from earlier this month.

“I’m not for a tax increase,” Hunsicker said. “That’s for sure.”

DeWire noted that the budget that was before council is the same as the one from the one earlier this month.

Kreitz said that in his 30 years as a business owner, he can’t recall a poorer year.

“This is the worst year,” Kreitz said. “For you to put a tax increase, you’re out of your mind.”

Abelovsky said it was time to go back to every department head and ask them to cut.

DeWire said he could do that, but if council were to continue to kick the tax cans year after year, it wouldn’t be sustainable.

Hawk said he believed council needed to raise taxes somewhat to keep the borough moving in a positive direction.

Earlier this month, council on a 3-1 vote tentatively adopted next year’s budget and agreed to advertise it.

Zimmerman, Worthy and Hawk were in favor, with Hunsicker opposed. Abelovsky and Kreitz were absent.

Before that vote, DeWire told council he has met with each of the departments and adjusted revenues and expenditures.

With those adjustments, DeWire noted that the borough was still faced with a $231,168 deficit.

DeWire said the Nov. 18 budget presentation had shown a $173,000 deficit.

The $60,000 difference was attributed to general fund allocation, he said.

DeWire said that full-time union lineman salaries were assumed to decrease by $50,000 to account for the filing of the vacant superintendent position.

He noted that $40,000 was added as a transfer to the capital project fund to begin saving for a sewer vac or Hydro excavator machine.

Also, DeWire said funding was allocated for the possibility of an additional full-time secretary within the police department, and a new alert system which the police department will be implementing later in 2025.

Hunsicker stressed the borough’s need for new equipment and asked how the borough was going to pay for it.

DeWire said the borough was not in the red, and that there were line items to buy new equipment.

Hawk agreed with Hunsicker that the borough needs to replace its old equipment.

DeWire said at that time the borough was sitting at 10 mills, and added it hasn’t had a significant municipal tax increase in some time.

Hunsicker said that’s why they previously purchased the electric department to keep the millage down.

At a special meeting last month, council agreed to table the advertising of the proposed budget.

DeWire said at last month’s special meeting that the budget did not include a tax increase, but included a deficit.

In February, borough council adopted this year’s budget with no tax increase.

That kept the millage rate intact at 10 mills.