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Mount Gretna Borough Council unanimously approved its 2025 budget with no tax increase.
The millage rate will stay consistent at 2.2352 mills.
At last month’s meeting, council president William Kleinfelter said this year’s budget was tougher to put together compared to previous years because of the current state of the economy.
“Because of what’s going on with everyone in the world right now, the money situation, I was really concerned about just trying to hold this budget the way it is so we don’t tax people,” Kleinfelter said following Monday night’s meeting. “We try out darnedest not to [raise taxes], but it was a concern this year that we may have to look at that, and we worked it out that we didn’t.”
Read More: Mount Gretna reviews 2025 preliminary budget, plans not to raise taxes
The sewer authority and the Mount Gretna Chautauqua budgets — set by the separate entities themselves — are included in the document. With all three groups combined, expected revenue and expenditures are around $700,000.
Kleinfelter, director of public works Bill Care, and council member Allan Feldman said the new construction in the borough coupled with more residents working full-time helped bring in more revenue.
“The income we received from earned income and transfer taxes — that helped us immensely,” Care said.
They said there were only a few homes sold in the area throughout the year, but every little bit helps because of the borough’s low population. Census data says 188 people live in the area.
“The number is relatively small, so a couple of people make a significant percentage,” Feldman said.
He noted the construction hasn’t required entire developments, which would cause more expenses with additional roadways and public works requirements.
Along with the millage rate, council also voted unanimously to maintain the current earned income and real estate tax rates at 1 percent each.
In other business:
- Council voted unanimously to purchase a new fully automatic automated external defibrillator, or AED, which will be placed somewhere within the borough and available to the public. They considered a semi-automatic AED that would have cost $1,975, and an automatic one costing $2,157, according to Care. Several members said the cost difference was negligible, especially considering the device could save lives. They didn’t determine where they would place the AED once it is bought, but several members said they would like it to be accessible to people using the playground and tennis courts.
- Kleinfelter said after the meeting that next year’s borough council meeting schedule will be the same, with the group gavelling in at 6 p.m. on the second Monday of each month. The full schedule including where each meeting will be held will be posted on the borough website.
Mount Gretna Borough Council will meet next at 6 p.m. on Jan. 13 at the firehall on Boulevard Street.
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Questions about this story? Suggestions for a future LebTown article? Reach our newsroom using this contact form and we’ll do our best to get back to you.
Free news isn’t cheap. If you value the journalism LebTown provides to the community, then help us make it sustainable by becoming a champion of local news. You can unlock additional coverage for the community by supporting our work with a one-time contribution, or joining as a monthly or annual member. You can cancel anytime.
