Preliminary 2015 Hellertown Budget Doesn’t Include Tax Hike

Hellertown Borough Council unanimously approved a preliminary 2015 budget that doesn’t call for a property tax increase–a point borough council president Tom Rieger stressed in announcing the document.

Borough manager Cathy Hartranft said the balanced budget includes a little more than $4,183,000 in revenue and more than $4,182,000 in expenses.

A copy of the preliminary budget will be available for public review on the Hellertown borough website and at Borough Hall, 685 Main St., Hellertown.

As of 2013, the borough of Hellertown had the second highest municipal millage rate in Northampton County (18.75 mills), after the city of Easton (24.95 mills), and the third highest total millage rate (81.29 mills) in the county, according to the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission. Total millage is calculated by adding the municipal, county and school district tax rates together.

Council will vote on final adoption of the 2015 borough budget later this year.

In other business at the meeting, council voted 7-0 to appoint councilman Joe Pampanin as vice president, after councilman John Bate announced that he would be stepping down from the position. Bate will remain on council.