Hellertown Moves Forward With Budget, Fire Service Change

At Monday night’s meeting, Hellertown Borough Council moved forward with a preliminary 2027 budget that would hold taxes steady while drawing on the borough’s capital reserves. Members authorized advertising the proposal for public review, with final adoption expected at the first council meeting in December.

Hellertown Preliminary Budget

Borough Manager Cathy Hartranft said the preliminary budget includes no tax increase but would use part of an accumulated fund balance to close the gap between revenue and expenses. Changes remained possible before adoption.

The written proposal lists approximately $4.87 million in General Fund revenue and $5.23 million in expenses, with $356,768 coming from reserves to cover the difference (preliminary budget). Hartranft described the drawdown during the meeting as about $300,000 and said it would leave the borough in a safe financial position.

Separately, Hartranft said the capital plan calls for purchasing a sanitation truck and a dump truck outright using capital savings. Other purchases have been deferred to 2027 and later years.

Council Vice President Larry O’Donnell, who chaired the meeting, said officials wanted to avoid adding to residents’ tax burden while several borough matters, including emergency services, remained unsettled. He cautioned that council couldn’t guarantee how long it could continue to cover costs without an increase.

“So, we are using some of the assets that we have in the piggy bank, so to speak, for this year and looking to not increase taxes for calendar year ’27,” O’Donnell said. 

Fire Service Ordinance Advances 

Council authorized advertising Ordinance 866, which would formally designate Lower Saucon Fire Rescue as Hellertown’s fire service provider.

“We have been continuing to negotiate new terms with both Lower Saucon Fire Rescue and Dewey; those are going well, I think. And so we are looking to move forward with some of those as we continue that,” said Hellertown Council President Lynley Solt.

“And due to time constraints, we did add some authorization to advertise tonight in conjunction with those ongoing negotiations as we move forward with that. So, I wanted to bring that up and put a little more color to that item below. We expect to have a contract here within the next month for both of those services moving forward,” Solt added.

The draft would make LSFR the borough’s exclusive municipal fire service provider effective Dec. 1, covering fire suppression, structural fire protection and specialized technical rescue while excluding emergency medical services. Council did not adopt that designation on Monday.

Dewey Fire Company, which is located within the borough and like LSFR is volunteer-run, has been in existence since 1898.

Earlier in the meeting, Jan Doddy was sworn in as borough fire marshal.

Five-Year Recycling Contract Approved 

Council awarded J.P. Mascaro & Sons a five-year recycling contract totaling $1,582,140. The company submitted the only bid for the borough’s contract, with options ranging from one to five years.

Councilwoman Gail Nolf asked the company to help residents better understand what materials are accepted and how to prepare them for collection. A company representative said information could be provided through the borough and incorporated into a new flyer.

Borough Seeks Sidewalk Grant

Council authorized a $336,375 Local Share Account statewide grant request for improvements along the west side of Easton Road between Chelsea Lane and Morning Star Road, including accessible sidewalks, stormwater upgrades and bicycle signage.

Borough Engineer Bryan Smith said the section currently has no sidewalk and represents another component of a larger effort to fully connect Cherry Lane to High Street with sidewalks. He said the work was being divided into smaller sections for grant applications.

Solicitor Vacancy and Community Updates 

Council accepted David Backenstoe’s resignation as Civil Service Commission solicitor. Hartranft said three applications for the position had been received and would go to the commission for consideration.

Solt reminded residents that the annual tree-lighting ceremony and holiday season kickoff, Light Up Night, has a new date. This year it will be held Friday, Dec. 4, rather than the day after Thanksgiving. She said the event was still expected to begin at 5 p.m. in Dimmick Park.

Public Works Director Barry Yonney said curbside leaf collection officially began Nov. 2, although crews had already been collecting leaves. He asked residents with driveways to move vehicles off the street to give crews better access.

The next Hellertown Borough Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. at Borough Hall.