Lehighton residents may not see an increase in their municipal tax rate next year after all.

On a unanimous measure, borough council on Monday agreed to adopt the 2017 proposed budget with no millage increase.Councilman Scott Rehrig made the motion to adopt next year's spending plan with no increase to the borough's millage rate.However, borough Manager Nicole Beckett said that would leave the borough with a $121,550 deficit.Beckett said that would mean the borough would have to approve a motion to transfer that amount from its Light and Power Department to help balance the budget.Council then made a motion to that effect, and also to look at a rate study for the borough's electric department.Additionally, council agreed to advertise the 2017 tax levy ordinance, leaving the millage rate at 7.5 mills.For a homeowner with a home valued at $100,000, which would be assessed at $50,000, they would again pay $375 to the borough next year in property taxes.The last time residents saw their municipal tax rate raised was in 2014, when council approved a 1-mill increase.Council plans to adopt the final budget when it meets at 7 p.m. Dec. 19.At a special meeting earlier this month, council was looking at a potential 2.4-mill increase, before it instructed Beckett to cut areas of the budget to reflect anywhere from a zero to 1.5-mill increase.Some of the big-ticket items discussed at that meeting were whether the parking meters on First Street should be removed, the potential hiring of another full-time officer, and the demolition of blighted properties.