Jim Thorpe Borough Council approved its 2025 budget on Monday night with no real estate tax increase for residents. However, water and sewer rates are increasing.

Council President Greg Strubinger expressed gratitude for the efforts of the borough staff and council members who collaborated to balance the budget.

“There’s no real bad news here,” Strubinger said during the meeting. “Thanks to many people — starting with the borough manager, the office staff, all the department heads, and council members — we’ve been able to keep the budget in balance without a tax increase.”

The unanimous decision to hold the line comes after council implemented a 0.64-mill property tax increase for the 2024 fiscal year. This adjustment translated to an additional $44.61 on average for property owners.

Utility increases

While there is no tax increase, the 2025 budget includes a 5% rise in water and sewer rates.

Strubinger provided specifics about how this change will impact households.

For the average household, the monthly water bill will increase from $60.40 to $63.42, a $3.02 rise. Similarly, sewer bills will increase from $43.36 to $45.53, a $2.17 increase. In total, the average household will see a combined increase of $5.19 per month.

The rate adjustments, council said, aim to address the financial needs of the borough’s water and wastewater treatment plants. Strubinger emphasized that the increases are essential to maintaining the infrastructure.

“These raises ensure that we can keep these plants operating,” he said. “The last thing we want to do is not keep an eye on the budget and have these plants get into a position where the borough has to look to sell them to private hands.”

Keeping the plants under borough ownership, he added, allows for greater control over rates and ensures the facilities can operate efficiently. The water department currently has a $2.8 million debt service, including a $2.7 million PENNVEST loan set to mature in 2036. The sewer department faces a $5.8 million debt service, with a $5 million loan maturing in 2056.

“When looking at increases,” Strubinger said, “we know the water treatment plant and the wastewater treatment plant are huge infrastructures that, as we see on council, when something goes wrong there, to get parts or whatever is needed to fix whatever it is can be very expensive.”

Other items

The 2025 budget also includes funding for downtown traffic control measures. Strubinger noted that $40,000 is earmarked for a traffic control company and $15,000 for barricades. However, he clarified that these expenditures are contingent on securing grant funding.

“The tax base will not be used for those purchases, as well as any matching funds,” he said.

Council, he added, plans to address office staff pay rates at its January meeting.